Living Wage Employers

Shaun Bailey: How many employers within Greater London are accredited as Living Wage employers?

The Mayor: There are 1929 accredited living wage employers in London, a figure which has more than doubled since I became Mayor.

TfL Announcements

Tony Devenish: One London Borough recently found its officers were only given ten minutes notification of a major change to a strategic road layout with huge knock-on implications for traffic and air quality. Why are Assembly Members, London Borough Councillors, Residents' Associations and amenities groups now being now seemingly being bypassed or ignored with regard to TfL announcements?

The Mayor: Transport for London (TfL) is working very closely with London boroughs on my London Streetspace Plan. Given the emergency nature of these changes and the extremely tight timescales involved TfL has not been able to engage in the usual way. However, local stakeholders and businesses have been provided with updates on Streetspace schemes happening in their local area, explaining the rationale and providing channels for feedback. For example, ahead of more businesses reopening from 4 July 2020, TfL contacted 5,500 premises to raise awareness of Streetspace changes that had been delivered in their local area and invite feedback.
The Streetspace Plan is being delivered in line with the statutory guidance issued by the Department for Transport on Saturday 9 May 2020. Local authorities are being urged to move rapidly to reallocate road space to people walking and cycling, both to encourage active travel and to enable social distancing during restart. TfL is carrying out engagement in line with the Government’s statutory guidance and its legal duties, reflecting the imperative to act quickly in the interests of public safety. TfL and I recognise the importance of local people’s and stakeholders’ views on changes that affect them, and TfL is therefore listening to people’s concerns and making changes on street where appropriate. TfL is also planning a wider programme of Streetspace engagement over the next nine months.

London Covid-19 Transport Task Force

Shaun Bailey: How often will the London Covid-19 Transport Task Force meet and what have been its outcomes so far?

The Mayor: The Task Force met weekly in May and June and currently meets once every two weeks, with the frequency of meetings being kept under review. The meetings have sought to ensure messaging and policy is effectively aligned between all transport operators in London. This has helped to successfully manage demand and maximise transport capacity whilst maintaining social distancing as lockdown measures have relaxed.

OJEU - Business cases

Tony Devenish: Will you consider putting out an OJEU and publicising widely to other public sector, third sector and business asking for short executive summary business cases on how to drive GLA income from running services in different ways and utilising GLA assets to protect front line public services?

The Mayor: I will shortly publish my re-purposed 2020-21 Budget for the GLA: Mayor’s Budget and will launch the preparation of my 2021-22 Budget shortly to meet the savings requirements of my Budget Guidance.

GLA financial audit

Tony Devenish: Will you consider conducting a forensic audit of all GLA budgets to identify budget lines where money has been over allocated?

The Mayor: I will shortly publish my re-purposed 2020-21 Budget for the GLA: Mayor’s Budget and will launch the preparation of my 2021-22 Budget shortly to meet the savings requirements of my Budget Guidance.

Protecting biodiversity alongside London Underground lines

Caroline Pidgeon: Further to your reply to 2020/1652 where you stated in relation to the trimming of grass verges “More wildlife-friendly management of all green spaces adds natural sound and colour that provides health and well-being benefits for many Londoners. I shall be publishing guidance later this year highlighting ways in which all green spaces can be enhanced for biodiversity.”

Will you ensure such guidance also covers land alongside London Underground lines?

The Mayor: The guidance I shall be publishing later this year will include habitat management and habitat creation principles and practice which will be applicable to all areas where there are opportunities to enhance biodiversity, including land alongside London Underground lines.
Transport for London officers have contributed to drafting the guidance, but it will not include specific instructions for the management of London Underground lines because of the specific operational and health and safety considerations which govern the management of land along London Underground lines.
As a functional body, Transport for London will use this guidance when developing and implementing their corporate environment plans relating to biodiversity conservation.

Leisure and Hospitality Grant Scheme

Caroline Pidgeon: I understand that a social enterprise or business occupying a listed building with no business rates is not entitled to any support from the Retail, Hospitality and Leisure Grant Fund. Will you make representations to the Treasury to ensure this exemption is lifted?

The Mayor: On 7 May 2020, I wrote to the Chancellor and the Secretary of State for Business calling for these grants to be extended to businesses that are excluded from receiving funding. Whilst the Government have provided some additional resources in the form of discretionary grants to support such businesses, the levels of funding provided are wholly inadequate to meet demand. This issue is particularly acute in London, where a much higher percentage of businesses are excluded from the grants as a result of high rateable values.
In order to simplify the process for accessing the various local discretionary grants schemes made available by Local Authorities, we have developed a grant finder tool on the London Growth Hub which can be accessed at: https://www.growthhub.london/discretionary-local-business-grants/. Our London Growth Hub business advisers are also able to help businesses identify grants and funding opportunities.

Working from home (2)

Leonie Cooper: Will your Good Work Standard look into best practice for London’s employers that now have more employees working from home than pre-COVID-19?

The Mayor: Working from home has helped to suppress the virus. However, the Pandemic has bought forward new challenges and questions about the nature of good work and the support provided to employees. My Good Work Standard outlines a range of measures and resources to help employers adopt flexible working practices for their employees. As we come to understand the longer-term impact on Londoner’s working lives of the pandemic and the changes it has brought about, my officers will work with employers, unions, HR professionals and colleagues in other city regions to understand best practice and to see what changes will need to be made to the Standard to ensure it remains relevant.
My team will continue to engage, encourage and support employers in sharing and developing best practices for their workforce whilst they work from home. My teams promote the Good Work Standard side by side with the London Healthy Workplace Award. London’s Growth Hub also includes information for employers on working from home including collaboration tools.

Support for microbusinesses (2)

Caroline Russell: The Central Activities Zone is unlikely to see a full return of its workforce in the near future due to the ongoing need for physical distancing and limited safe lift and public transport capacity. Many microbusinesses in the centre of our city are dependent on daily flows of office-based workers. What will you do for these businesses to support them to adjust or relocate?

The Mayor: The Covid-19 related challenges faced by micro-businesses in the Central Activity Zone are particularly acute, and whilst many of these businesses have demonstrated their ingenuity by moving their business to online sales or diversifying their activity, they are likely to need support for some time to come. I want to do everything I can to help more businesses adapt and survive the economic shocks of the pandemic.
That is why I have launched the Pay It Forward London initiative which has already seen over 170 businesses raise £250,000 with the help of more than 4,000 Londoners. I have also called on the government to implement a targeted extension of furlough scheme which will help some microbusiness. My team are now looking at how we can further support these businesses as they start to reopen and adapt their business model.
The London Growth Hub business support initiative is also offering free support to businesses during the current crisis in the form of one-to-one advice and a programme of webinars. This support is enabling businesses to access grants and loans to support them through the crisis.

Easing of lockdown restrictions

Leonie Cooper: How important is clear messaging on the easing of lockdown restrictions for supporting London’s economy?

The Mayor: Clear messaging is critical as the easing of lockdown restrictions continue. London faces the unprecedented challenge of recovering from the economic impacts of COVID-19, whilst also stopping the spread of this deadly virus. While many London businesses are now allowed to open, the safety of Londoners must continue to come first, and I have made this message clear. Whilst enjoying these new opportunities and supporting our local businesses, it is vital that we all take responsibility for staying safe and protecting the people around us.
With London Councils, I established a High Streets Reopening Task and Finish group which is tasked with helping coordinate communication activity across London, with support from a range of agencies including local authorities, Transport for London, the Met, and business bodies. I also relaunched my London is Open campaign to safely support the reopening of the hospitality sector.

Face coverings on tube

Andrew Dismore: You have rightly required tube users to wear face coverings; however, many passengers are not obeying this instruction, especially in ticket halls and on platforms, as well as in carriages. Will you improve your messaging in posters and by public address, to make clear that the face coverings rule applies throughout, specifically referring to ticket halls and platforms, not just carriages; and what steps will you take to beef up enforcement?

The Mayor: City Hall and Transport for London (TfL) have been clear that everyone should be wearing a face covering on public transport unless they are exempt. TfL is running an extensive communications campaign telling customers that they must wear a face covering. This has focused on informing customers that they must wear a covering for their entire journey and that it must cover their nose and mouth. This has included a major advertising campaign, posters at all stations, PA announcements, social media and emails to TfL’s customer database. My office is promoting these messages daily via social media, reminding them of the importance of wearing face coverings on public transport and in situations where social distancing can’t be maintained.
The police and TfL’s enforcement officers are deployed to priority locations across the bus and Tube network to encourage compliance, refusing entry to the network and asking people to leave if they are not wearing a face covering. Enforcement officers have the powers to issue fines with the possibility of prosecution if people don’t wear face coverings and they will use them, if necessary. This is expected to be a last resort as enforcement officers deploy other tactics to drive up compliance first and as Londoners will want to do the right thing and keep themselves and others safe.
90 per cent of passengers during the morning peak are complying with the requirement. As of 14 July, over 20,000 customers have been stopped and 61 Fixed penalty notices have been issued by TfL officers to those refusing to comply with face covering requirements.

Borough lockdowns

Andrew Dismore: If the Government bring in specific borough lockdowns to deal with areas of high infections, how will this be effectively enforced, especially along borough borders?

The Mayor: I wrote to the Government on 29 June to seek urgent clarification of the powers at our disposal in London. We need clarification on devolved powers that are available to enforce local measures and the ability to locally diverge from central legislation, additional resources that would be made available to support managing local outbreaks and the flexibility of the furlough and job support schemes to support local responses.
A range of action is underway in London to ensure we are well prepared to respond to local outbreaks with the aim of controlling the spread and preventing further outbreaks. To inform local borough responses, each local authority has now published its Local Outbreak Control Plan and these are being tested through peer review. These plans set out a number of scenarios, and recognise that people’s movements are not limited to borough boundaries.
At a regional level, an outbreak simulation exercise was undertaken on 9 July and the learning from this exercise will further inform regional and borough level responses to large and smaller outbreaks.

Encouraging recycling [2]

Andrew Dismore: Is Barnet Council’s policy of charging residents who wish to swap waste bins for recycling bins compliant with your waste plan? If you agree with me that it is not in the spirit of the plan, will you write to Barnet Council and ask them to remove this charge?

The Mayor: The charging for containers for waste and recycling remains at the discretion of individual boroughs and some choose to charge as a mechanism to help cover the costs they incur.
Requests for new or additional containers in Barnet are chargeable, however the cost of household recycling bins is lower than the cost of refuse bins to incentivise recycling. Requests made for changes from one type of container to another in Barnet are considered on their own merits but I would expect that the borough would act to incentivise recycling wherever possible.
I estimate that London requires a minimum of £100m of investment in local recycling services to reach my targets and have requested this money from the Chancellor and the Secretary of State. They have not provided London with this money, but I will continue engaging with the Government to make sure that London gets its fair share of funding for investment in local authority services to drive up recycling performance.
Please see my answer to Mayor’s Question 2020/2339.

Future of the Creative Land Trust

Siân Berry: If the Creative Land Trust does not meet its objectives and performance targets envisaged in MD2362, will you consider wrapping up the project and redirecting funding to existing established bodies, which may better be able to deliver the planned 1000 studios within five years’?

The Mayor: The Creative Land Trust is an independent charity set up to protect London’s world-leading artists and workspace providers from the pressure of unstable leases and rising rents. This is more urgent following the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Creative Land Trust is a new model in the UK, designed to support existing affordable workspace providers by creating a new model for raising investment for their benefit. It is filling a gap not provided for by other bodies. It has already raised £3.5m from Arts Council England and Bloomberg Philanthropies which would otherwise not have gone to workspace provision.
The GLA has a grant agreement with the Creative Land Trust and reports progress on a quarterly basis to the London Assembly. My team also meets monthly with Creative Land Trust’s other funders to discuss progress against targets.

Competition and the Creative Land Trust

Siân Berry: How does the Creative Land Trust ensure its work does not unduly affect the artist studio sector by competing with existing community and charitable providers to purchase buildings or, because of this competition, that it causes price inflation?

The Mayor: The Creative Land Trustis an independent charity set upto protect London’sartists and workspace providers fromthe pressureofunstable leases and rising rents. The representative voices of artists and studio providers is essential to the Creative Land Trust’s successes, and the it has appointed two artists to its board.
Prior to COVID-19, 24 per cent (57) of sites providing artists’ workspace were at risk of closure within 5 years. This position has likely worsened due to COVID-19, devastating small creative businesses and self-employed artists.
The Trust will secure buildings permanently but not manage them or compete with providers – it will lease buildings to existing providers, helping to stabilise an ecosystem in a fast-paced market. Its Board is committed to working with existing providers on every purchase and will avoid competing when other providers are bidding.
My strategy to support affordable creative workspace is multi-faceted. I have funded a number of studios including Second Floor Studios in Deptford and Studio Voltaire in Clapham, provided protection through the London Plan, supported studios through my Creative Enterprise Zones and have funded many studios at risk due to COVID-19 through my Culture at Risk Business Support Fund. This has provided £1.6m to 82 providers, supporting more than 11,500 artists.

Hampstead Heath Ponds

Andrew Dismore: In 2005 The City of London, who run Hampstead Heath introduced a ‘self-policed’ charging system at the bathing ponds which had hitherto always been free to use in much the same way as beaches are available for swimming. In the fifteen years that ‘voluntary’ payment has been required, many swimmers have either not been aware of the charges or assumed that they weren’t taken seriously by the City, who failed to communicate the charges clearly and proved unsuccessful at collecting them.
In January of this year the City announced a consultation on managing the ponds, which was responded to by the Kenwood Ladies’ Pond Association, the Highgate Men’s Pond Association, the Mixed Pond Association and the United Swimmers’ Association. At the end of the review the Corporation’s Hampstead Heath, Highgate Wood and Queen’s Park Committee decided to enforce payment and double charges, disregarding not only the representations, but also the recommendations of its own Hampstead Heath Consultative Committee (a statutory committee) which backed encouraging a ‘culture of compliance’ and making payment easier.
Will you write to the City of London and ask them to reconsider their plans, and to comply with the recommendations of their consultative committee?

The Mayor: I have no direct responsibility for the management of any outdoor swimming venues in London, including the ponds at Hampstead Heath. This lies with the owners and managers of these sites, in consultation with users and local residents, to determine their safe operation. I would expect them to fully consider the implications of any new management measures on users and ensure they do not disadvantage any sectors of society who would want to use these facilities
I understand the City of London have put these new arrangements in place to ensure the site can operate safely given the increased popularity of outdoor swimming. I also understand they have agreed that a support fund will be developed to support swimmers who may require further financial assistance beyond an agreed package of concessions already in place.
Through my programmes I have supported projects to provide Londoners with more opportunities for outdoor recreation, including open water swimming. Last year my Green Capital grants helped fund the transformation of Beckenham Place Park, which includes an outdoor swimming lake; and the National Park City Festival included London’s first multi-site outdoor swimming and paddle sports event. This event provided Londoners with opportunities to try paddle boarding and outdoor swimming at venues such as Walthamstow Wetlands and the Royal Docks.

Creative Land Trust fundraising

Siân Berry: What is the total amount of money theCreative Land Trust has so far succeeded in raising, from sources external to the GLA, to purchase buildings to provide affordable workspace in perpetuity across the capital, in each financial year since 2018?Could you provide the answer in a table format?

The Mayor: The Creative Land Trust was launched in February 2019 with an in-principle commitment of £3.5m funding from Arts Council England and Bloomberg Philanthropies, and a £4m commitment from the Mayor.
This funding was subsequently secured through grant agreements by the Trust’s interim delivery team, once set up of the organisation was completed. In December 2019 a Board was appointed and the Trustees include individuals with extensive fundraising experience in property and financial markets as well as philanthropy. A CEO, Gordon Seabright, was appointed in March 2020 and he, together with the Trustees, is now taking forward the Trust’s fundraising plan. The GLA will continue to monitor and support fundraising as part of the its grant agreement with the Creative Land Trust.
External funding raised
Amount
2019-20
£3.5m
2020-21 to date

Securing the future of artist studio organisations

Siân Berry: During the coronavirus crisis, arts organisations have needed emergency funding to meet their rent obligations. A major long-term problem, outlined in MD2362, has been that these organisations need to purchase workspaces or secure long-term leases, but lack the large deposits required upfront, even if they have funding to support operating costs. Will you help these organisations invest in their futures by making affordable loans and grants available for these deposits?

The Mayor: I am committed to supporting artist studios in London, a vital part of our cultural infrastructure. I initiated the new Creative Land Trust to help address a crisis in affordable creative workspace in the capital. Prior to COVID-19, 24 per cent (57) of current sites providing artists’ workspace were at risk of closure within the next 5 years. This position has likely worsened due to COVID-19, devastating small creative businesses and self-employed artists. The Trust will secure affordable permanent space, which can then be managed by established workspace providers on long term leases. It is modelled in this way following extensive research and learnings from a similar organisation set up in San Francisco. In its set up period, it will focus on direct acquisition of buildings.
The Creative Land Trust is part of a wider strategy to secure affordable workspace. This includes planning protections in the London Plan, investment through my Creative Enterprise Zones and grants to workspace providers through Good Growth and Strategic Investment Funds. The Trust’s unique model sits strategically alongside funding opportunities for affordable studios including these grants through my programmes, and affordable loans available through the Arts Impact Fund.

Creative Land Trust governance (2)

Siân Berry: What governance or oversight arrangements are now in place for the Creative Land Trust’s use of GLA administrative and capital funding, in order to ensure it delivers its intended outcomes within the planned timeframe?

The Mayor: The Creative Land Trustis an independent charity set upto protect London’sworld-leadingartists and workspace providers fromthe pressureofunstable leases and rising rents. The representative voices of artists and studio providers will be essential to its success, and the Creative Land Trust has appointed two artists to its board.
Our capital grant of £4m is governed by a GLA grant agreement with clear milestones and payment conditions. Progress against deliverables is reported to the Assembly on a quarterly basis through the dashboard process. A GLA Officer is an observer on the Creative Land Trust board and monthly meetings happen with co-funders Arts Council England and Bloomberg Philanthropies.
Separately, my Culture at Risk Business Support Fund grants to creative workspaces are being administered by Creative Land Trust. This is being monitored through a separate grant agreement with milestones. I was pleased to announce on 9 July that £1.6m from this Fund has benefitted 82 artist studios across 18 London boroughs, supporting more than 11,500 creatives.

Creative Land Trust governance (1)

Siân Berry: Why has no artist or creative beneficiary, or existing studio sector body, been included in the governance, board or staffing of the Creative Land Trust?

The Mayor: The Creative Land Trustis an independent charity set upto protect London’sworld-leadingartists and workspace providers fromthe pressureofunstable leases and rising rents. The representative voices of artists and studio providers will be essential to its success, and the Creative Land Trust has appointed two artists to its board.
The Creative Land Trust was set up by a steering group which included studio representatives (Naomi Dines, Occupation Studios and Pru Robey, Artscape Toronto) as well as artists. The interim CEO is experienced in managing affordable workspace for social enterprises and artists and is a member of the Workspace Advisory Group, a specialist advisory body reporting to the Deputy Mayor and the London Economic Action Partnership (LEAP). Consultations with studio providers were held throughout the development of the Trust, and it will continue to consult with these important organisations regularly.

Working from home (1)

Leonie Cooper: How will you work with London’s businesses to ensure that they are protecting their employee’s health and wellbeing if they are now working from home?

The Mayor: Working from home has helped to suppress the virus in London and save lives. But it has also brought about challenges for workers and for their employers, and for some, can be detrimental to their mental health or wider wellbeing.
London’s Growth Hub has information for employers on homeworking including collaboration tools and information on managing physical and mental health. And through Thrive LDN we are working together with partner organisations to support the mental health of Londoners and ensure it remains a priority for employers.
Wellbeing is a key pillar in my Good Work Standard, which also signposts employers to the key Health and Safety Executive guidance documents and standards. It encourages organisations to make reasonable adjustments to ensure workers with disabilities or physical or mental health conditions are not disadvantaged. Through my Good Work Standard and London Healthy Workplace Award, we are working with employers to highlight good practice and learning opportunities.
I and my Deputy Mayors regularly promote these schemes directly through our engagements with business leaders and organisations.

London Borough Private Rented Sector Partnership

Siân Berry: In April 2017, you established the London Borough Private Rented Sector Partnership aiming to: “improve coordination, joint working and information sharing to drive forward improvements in private rented sector enforcement across the capital.” What specific new initiatives have been developed by the Partnership to improve local enforcement?

The Mayor: My Private Rented Sector Partnership brings together the 33 London boroughs to share intelligence and best practice. It has been pivotal in supporting local enforcement by promoting priorities that help improve conditions for renters, such as property licensing schemes, and encouraging partnership working with Trading Standards, the Metropolitan Police and the London Fire Brigade.
The Partnership has been instrumental in the delivery of my key manifesto commitments to renters, including the Rogue Landlord and Agent Checker. To date, over 2,000 records of prosecutions or penalties have been added to the system, and these have been viewed on 200,000 times. The need for my Better Renting programme of training and capacity-building for boroughs was originally identified by the Partnership. It is overseeing that programme, as well as improvements to Setting the Standard, which will improve standards of temporary accommodation across London.

Creative Land Trust funding

Siân Berry: Further to MD2362, MD2363, ADD2043, ADD2194 and the new Culture at Risk Business Support Fund, could you provide data on the total funding that has been made available by the GLA for the administration of the Creative Land Trust between 2016 and 2020, and the amount that has been funded by other donors?

The Mayor: The Creative Land Trust is an independent charity set up to protect London’s world-leading artists and workspace providers from the pressure of unstable leases and rising rents. This is yet more urgent following the devastating impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
I invested £4 million capital funding in the Creative Land Trust. An additional £150,000 of revenue funding was provided from the GLA’s Strategic Investment Fund to support set up administration costs. This has been matched by £3.5 million in partner funding. The Creative Land Trust is a charity and will publish its accounts annually to the Charity Commission.
My Culture at Risk Business Support Fund provided £1.6 million to 82 studios, across 18 London Borough, benefitting more than 11,500 artists. It was administered through the Creative Land Trust so that workspace operators could access emergency funding fast and fairly. 4.3 per cent (£65,084) was allocated to cover the costs of administration.

Cultural and sporting events

Leonie Cooper: What has been the total financial impact on London of not hosting cultural and sporting events this year?

The Mayor: The financial impact that COVID-19 has had on cultural and sporting events is not yet fully clear. Work is underway to understand the true impact that cancelling these events has had on the capital as well as specifically the events sector, including event organisers, suppliers and artists to name just a few.
Culture is in London’s DNA; it is worth £58.4 billion a year and provides one in six jobs across the capital. COVID-19 has had a catastrophic impact on London’s creative sector, with research showing that the pandemic could cost London’s economy up to £16.3 billion this year, risking 151,000 jobs. We know that cancelled cultural events, supported by the Events for London team alone, would have brought in approximately £75m to London’s economy based on additional visitor spend. I’m pleased to see that Government has finally acknowledged the role of culture with a £1.57 billion national investment package.
Whilst it is difficult to attribute a figure to the overall financial impact of sporting event cancellations, we know from the evaluation of previous events hosted in London that they generate huge sums for the economy. For example, an event like the NFL International Series generates around £58m a year and the Major League Baseball, which had their inaugural London games in Summer 2019, generated £47m, with two more games scheduled for June 2020.
Some of the sporting events due to be hosted in London during 2020, for example the UEFA Men’s European Championship, have been postponed. When these events return to the capital, there will be the opportunity to capitalise on them, but it should be highlighted that the events may not take place on the same scale. Many event owners will be operating with tighter budgets and social distancing restrictions may still apply, which will impact the number of spectators at events for some time.
London & Partners will shortly be publishing a report about event impacts on London between 2017 and 2020 as a follow on to a previous report looking at the four years after the Olympic and Paralympic Games.The report isn’t yet finalised, but early figures estimate that major events in 2017-19 injected £1.36 billion into the London economy, with a further £384.2 million expected for 2020.

Budget cuts at LFB

Andrew Dismore: What impact on transformation at LFB will its forecast £25m share of GLA group savings have?

The Mayor: The London Fire Commissioner has been clear that he needs to ensure that he can continue to improve training, equipment and make other changes to the way that London’s fire and rescue service operates. This includes improving fire safety in all buildings, including high rise property, and preparing for major incidents, such as acts of terrorism. It is vital that this work continues, to ensure that the recommendations from Phase 1 of the Grenfell Tower Inquiry and the findings of the HMI report are properly implemented. I will continue to discuss these matters with the Commissioner as he prepares his response to my budget guidance.

30cm tolerance on clad buildings

Andrew Dismore: How many a) ACM clad and b) other forms of dangerously clad buildings would be added to the total yet to be remediated in London if the height threshold had a 30cm tolerance flexibility (i.e. buildings 17.97m were counted)?

The Mayor: The GLA does not hold this information. The GLA's role is to administer the Social and Private Sector ACM Cladding Remediation Funds in London on behalf of the Government. The Government is responsible for collecting information on buildings of the appropriate height with unsafe ACM. Eligible buildings are then passed to the GLA to progress the application.

Fire Safety Bill

Andrew Dismore: What extra staffing requirement will LFB have to meet the demands of the expanded powers in the Fire Safety Bill?

The Mayor: The Fire Safety Bill is described by government as a clarification of the existing law, rather than the creation of new powers. London Fire Brigade (LFB)is evaluating what the clarification of responsible persons duties may bring for its workloadsin terms offire safety audits, requests for advice and statutory consultations. That includes all reasonableoptions to ensure adequate staffing by fully competent officers in line with national guidance and the competency framework.
However, the evaluationalso needs to take into account the Government’s proposals for new regulations to implement the Grenfell Tower Phase 1 recommendationsand the forthcoming Building Safety Bill. Consultation documents about these proposals are expected to be published by Government in the near future.
One important principle we will be clear on as we take this forward is that any new responsibilities must be accompanied by additional funding to deliver on them.

GLA role in £1bn Building Safety Fund

Andrew Dismore: What role will the GLA have in administering the new £1bn Building Safety Fund?

The Mayor: As with the Social Sector ACM Cladding Remediation Fund and the Private Sector ACM Cladding Remediation Fund, the Building Safety Fund will be administered by the GLA for eligible buildings in London. All substantive decisions regarding the scope of the fund and approval of applications will be carried out by the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).
MHCLG is managing the registration process and, through it, will determine whether buildings registered are over 18 metres and have eligible external wall systems. Only those that are eligible may then submit an application for funding. The application process is expected to open at the end of July 2020. The GLA will administer this application process for buildings in London.

Collecting data on buildings of varying heights

Andrew Dismore: What preparations is the GLA making for MHCLG's planned summer 2020 data collection exercise on buildings of 11m to 18m height?

The Mayor: The current data collection exercise on external wall systems, commissioned by MHCLG and carried out by local authorities, is only undertaken for buildings of 18m or above in height. There is no such exercise for buildings below 18m.

Completion of non-ACM dangerous cladding survey

Andrew Dismore: In response to my question 2020/1992, you said the data collection exercise for 11m+ buildings with non-ACM dangerous cladding will not finish until summer 2020. Please will you write to me once that exercise is complete to notify me of the publication of the results?

The Mayor: I would like to clarify that the MHCLG’s data collection exercise on non-ACM external wall systems is only undertaken for buildings above 18m in height. I will inform your office if and when the results, for buildings over 18m, are published by the Government.

Assessing the damage of the limits on social sector applications to the Building Safety Fund

Andrew Dismore: In response to my question 2020/1999, you said: “registered providers and councils may have to divert resources away from building the new genuinely affordable homes that London desperately needs towards the cost of remediating unsafe buildings. Additionally, social landlords will have fewer resources available for general repairs and maintenance on existing homes and may increase rents”. So that we may judge the consequences of the Government’s decision to limit the support for social sector providers from the Building Safety Fund, will you begin surveying the GLA’s social sector housing partners to track the extent of these negative outcomes?

The Mayor: The Government has not made the Building Safety Fund accessible to all social sector buildings and I continue to lobby against this. The Government’s decision will limit some social landlords’ abilities to remediate unsafe cladding in line with the pace required by Government, without diverting resources from other workstreams. My team meets with social sector partners regularly and will continue to discuss issues related to building safety with them.

Hoteliers refusing to accept ACM must go

Andrew Dismore: The National Audit Office report into ACM cladding removal noted that some hotel operators dispute their ACM clad buildings need remediating. How many hotel operators in London does this apply to?

The Mayor: The Greater London Authority administers both the Social Sector ACM Cladding Remediation Fund (SSCRF) and the Private Sector ACM Cladding Remediation Fund (PSCRF). Hotels are not eligible for either fund. Information on hotels refusing to remediate is held by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG).

Competition and Markets Authority oversight of state aid rules

Andrew Dismore: In response to my question 2020/1994, you said that five leaseholders had received a reduced share of the cladding remediation fund owing to state aid restrictions. Given the relatively low level of potential breaches found so far, will you write to the CMA and ask them to consider lifting the considerable bureaucratic burden of administrating state aid forms once they take over management of the process in December 2020?

The Mayor: The GLA’s role in the Private Sector ACM Cladding Remediation Fund is purely administrative. The Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government is responsible for setting the design of and policies for the programme.

High street support (3)

Gareth Bacon MP: Have you identified any London boroughs whose high streets and small businesses will be particularly hard hit by the pandemic?

The Mayor: Businesses across London are facing unprecedented challenges as they respond to multiple Covid-19 challenges. Regardless of location in London, many businesses will struggle to remain viable as a result of restrictions on social distancing. The Covid-19 related challenges faced by businesses in central London, which rely on office workers, tourism and people traveling to spend their leisure time, are particularly acute.
The number of staff furloughed also varies significantly by area. Data shows 1.07m workers across London have been furloughed – with a disproportionately high number in areas that have seen the greatest rise in the benefit claimant count. The top five UK constituencies for the number of furloughed workers are all in London: West Ham, Tottenham, East Ham, Feltham & Heston, and Brent Central.
To support recovery, my officers are working to determine metrics which will indicate the long-term impact of the pandemic on London’s SMEs. This will help provide a picture on both the types of business affected and their location.

High street support (2)

Gareth Bacon MP: What engagement have you had with high street retailers and small business owners over the course of this crisis, what concerns have they raised with you, and how do you plan to address them?

The Mayor: At the start of the crisis, my London Growth Hub team deployed a survey to SMEs to identify key issues they faced as a result of coronavirus. It established an online Covid-19 support hub and pivoted to deliver business support virtually on issues SMEs are facing. Advisers held over 1,200 calls with businesses and webinars have addressed concerns such as rent, insurance and business resilience. I have been in regular contact with business bodies, including the Federation of Small Business.
I launchedmy Pay it Forwardcampaign and am investing an additional £1m to extend business support to help companies through the crisis and recovery. I wrote to the Chancellor with concerns regarding SMEs across London being disproportionately excluded from Government support because of high property values.
The Recovery Board, which I co-chair with Cllr Peter John, will take forward work to support the long-term recovery of London’s high streets.

Met police social media complaints

Unmesh Desai: Please provide data on how many complaints the Met has received regarding its posts on social media in 2017,2018,2019 and 2020 to date?

The Mayor: Please see the table below:
Number of Public Complaint Allegations – regarding posts on MPS social media forums
2017
2018
2019
2020
Number of Allegations
3
6
1
2

Support and advocacy for self-employed Londoners

Leonie Cooper: How is the Mayor supporting, and advocating for, Londoners who are self-employed (particularly freelancers), who have fallen through the cracks of government financial support measures?

The Mayor: In April, I wrote to the Chancellor to call for additional support forself-employedLondoners. The extension of theSelf-Employment Income Support Scheme until August is welcome. However,between a quarter and a third of London’s 869,000self-employedremain excluded from support and I continue to urge the Government to act.
Sectors with high numbers of freelancers, such as culture and hospitality, will be unable to fully reopen for months. I welcome the Government’s announcement of £1.6bn of support for the arts, but I’m concerned that the support reaches the thousands of freelancers or businesses in the creative supply chain.I’ll continue to do what I can to support creatives through my Culture at Risk Office and Pay It Forward programme.

Sustainable waste management (2)

Leonie Cooper: Residents near incinerators report harmful air pollution and respiratory issues, which is particularly concerning right now, during COVID-19. What are you doing to help mitigate the impact of this air pollution on Londoners?

The Mayor: The Environment Agency is responsible for issuing, and regulating compliance with, Environmental Permits for all energy from waste plants. The permits make sure that these plants operate to the best available techniques for reducing pollution.
I have recently published a review into the evidence on specific impacts on health from living in close proximity to an energy from waste plant. This report shows that the permitting regime overseen by the Environment Agency has been successful in eliminating many of the impacts, such as cancer clusters, that used to occur with traditional “mass burn” incinerators.
That is no reason, however, for complacency. London does not need any further waste incinerator capacity to manage the city’s non-recyclable waste, which is why I am continuing to oppose the granting of planning permission for a new waste incinerator in South East London. I want to make sure that the Environment Agency continues to hold the existing facilities to the highest possible environmental standards, and my officers have been lobbying Defra for continued alignment between UK and EU best practice after Brexit.

Sustainable waste management (3)

Leonie Cooper: I recently published a reporton London’s food waste which showed that we could power 75,000 homes by sending all London’s food waste for anaerobic digestion. I asked you to consider introducing a planning requirement for all large developments to include anaerobic digestion capacity. What discussions have you had with Boroughs and developers to make progress on this?

The Mayor: My new London Plan Policy SI8 D(3) encourages development proposals which “contribute towards renewable energy generation, especially renewable gas technologies from organic/biomass waste”. This includes anaerobic digestion. My officers work with waste authorities to ensure they include anaerobic digestion solutions into their new waste service contract tender documents where appropriate. I have also now signed off all 33 boroughs’ Reduction and Recycling Plans that include commitments for all boroughs to meet my minimum recycling service level including separate food waste collection. Meeting this service level will help drive demand for more anaerobic digestion capacity treating separate food waste.
Policy SI7 A(6) of the new London Plan describes the minimum design requirements for developments to support household recycling and my officers look to encourage applications to go beyond these requirements on appropriate sites. Developers and boroughs can also use the London Waste Map to help identify opportunities for growing anaerobic capacity on existing and new waste sites.

The London Plan and electric charging points

Caroline Pidgeon: In answer to question 2019/19622 you stated “In order to effectively monitor the implementation of draft London Plan Policy T6.1, the London Development Database (LDD) is updating its technical planning data standard to include the number and type of charge points proposed for a development. This is currently out for agreement by Borough Leaders. Subject to this agreement, the ongoing LDD automation project will automate the collection of this data and allow it to be more accessible to all Londoners from spring 2020.” Please provide an update on progress in making this data more accessible to Londoners.

The Mayor: This project has delayed its delivery in part due to the need to minimise change and pressures on Local Planning Authorities during the current public health crisis. The aims, however, remain the same and it will help provide more accessible data for Londoners.
During this time the team have focussed on facilitating the data flow ready for the data collection to launch and be fully automated at the appropriate time.
Officers are in discussions with Planning Authorities across London when that appropriate time may be.
For further more detailed information on the project please visit https://sway.office.com/PCbVYR7X9hbgdKJD?ref=email

PPE quality checks (1)

Onkar Sahota: How many items of PPE distributed via the SCG’s logistics routes have had to be recalled owing to safety concerns?

The Mayor: The London Resilience Forum (LRF) has managed the logistics of the Department of Health and Social Care’s national PPE supply on behalf of the SCG through the Croydon distribution hub. London Fire Brigade has delivered these vital supplies.
The LRF team has supplied the following information on 8 July: 265,250 frames and 274,050 lenses have been recalled following tests carried out by the Health & Safety Executive which found that the products did not meet the current requirement for splash protection.

Culture at Risk Office

Joanne McCartney: How many organisations and individuals has your Culture at Risk Office helped since the start of the COVID-19 crisis?

The Mayor: Prior to COVID-19, London’s creative economy was worth £58bn a year, accounting for 1 in 6 jobs. The devasting impact of COVID-19 on London’s culture and creative industries could cost London’s economy up to £16.3bn this year alone, putting 151,000 jobs at risk.
My expanded Culture at Risk Office has helped over 560 new organisations and individuals since April, including 91 non-premises-based organisations and 98 self-employed individuals. This represents a significant increase in support needed from across the cultural sector. Prior to this the Office had supported 350 cases in total over three years. I have provided further emergency support through a £2.3m Culture at Risk Business Support Fund that to date has given grants to 110 organisations, supporting more than 11,500 artists.
I welcome the Government’s recent announcement of £1.57bn of funding for the arts. I have written to the Secretary of State for Culture to express that funding must reach organisations fast, support freelancers, who make up 50 per cent of the creative workforce, address inequality and include essential creative supply chain businesses.

Theatre Closures

Joanne McCartney: Are you aware of any theatres that have closed in London as a direct result of the COVID-19 pandemic?

The Mayor: Prior to COVID-19, London’s creative economy was worth £58bn a year, accounting for 1 in 6 jobs. The capital's renowned theatre industry helps make London a world-leading global city.
The devastating impact of COVID-19 on London’s culture and creative industries could cost London’s economy up to £16.3bn this year alone, putting 151,000 jobs at risk. Most theatres cannot viably open with social distancing in place until at least 2021, with many forced to close for good without emergency funding.
My Culture at Risk Office is working with the Theatres Trust, supporting 43 theatre cases. Of those, 8 reported a serious risk of closure without immediate support now. I welcome the Government’s recent announcement of £1.57bn of funding for the arts. I have written to the Secretary of State for Culture to express that it is vital this funding reach organisations fast, reach freelancers, who are the backbone of the theatre industry, address inequality and support essential businesses in the creative supply chain.

PPE quality checks (2)

Onkar Sahota: How many items of PPE distributed by the SCG’s logistics routes have been found to be out of date? Please provide the final date of quality sign off for each batch of these items where possible.

The Mayor: The London Resilience Forum (LRF) has managed the logistics of the Department of Health and Social Care’s (DHSC) national PPE supply on behalf of the SCG through the Croydon distribution hub. London Fire Brigade has delivered these vital supplies.
The PPE distributed through the LRF comes from DHSC national supplies. All stock is tested by the Health and Safety Executive and cleared for distribution to health and social care environments before it reaches the Croydon distribution hub. The DHSC has provided written confirmation that the PPE is safe for distribution and the LRF team regularly reconfirms that this is still the case.

Architecture Design and Urbanism Panel

Nicky Gavron: How many of the 92 companies appointed to your Architecture Design and Urbanism Panel are led by people from a) Black; b) Asian and c) other minority ethnic groups?

The Mayor: The procurement process for my Architecture Design and Urbanism Panel (ADUP) reduced the pre-qualification criteria to enable greater access to smaller and less established practices. However, at the time TfL procurement had no facility to carry out diversity monitoring as part of the assessment process. As such, we do not have a confirmed data set for the diversity of ownership in practices on the framework.
We have subsequently taken remedial action to promote the development of exemplary equality diversity and inclusion policies across the current framework with the ambition that this will lead to more diversity within practices operating in London. This has fostered good practice including collaborations between established framework consultants and younger more diverse architectural businesses.
The framework uses mandatory award criteria for the assessment of tenders, which include an assessment of diversity and inclusion principles within project resourcing and design approaches. Best practice usage of the framework to date has informed the development of specific guidance on how to implement the award criteria, as well as the development of a dedicated Process Note in the ‘Commissioning Quality Design Quality Management Report’ which will be published as part my Good Growth by Design Programme.
My Good Growth by Design programme has also been developing broader best practice approaches to supporting the diversity of the architecture and design professions and launched the ‘Supporting Diversity Handbook’ in 2019, which offers a roadmap for built environment professionals to think about diversity at every stage of a career. It sets out the barriers and challenges faced by underrepresented groups and showcases steps already being taken by committed individuals and organisations, demonstrating how to take leadership on the issue at various levels. The report also highlighted my commitment to supporting diversity and inclusion through the procurement of services, and this is something my Regeneration team are progressing with TfL and the GLA Responsible Procurement team in relation to future procurement processes.
With the existing ADUP framework due to expire in 2021, my Regeneration team are working closely with TfL Procurement to ensure the replacement panel demonstrates best practice procurement processes and takes appropriate steps to address the diversity of the profession and equality of opportunity in accessing public sector work. This will include a clear strategy and commitment to measure and monitor the diversity of the framework across multiple protected characteristics at different stages of the application process.

New Permitted Development Rights

Nicky Gavron: Do you support the Government’s introduction next month of a new permitted development right for the two-storey upward extension of blocks of flats? How can you assist boroughs in mitigating their impacts?

The Mayor: Along with many boroughs and others, I still have concerns about these new rights, despite some additional restrictions which have now been applied to a number of PDRs such as the wider requirement for adequate natural light in all habitable rooms. As I set out in my most recent consultation response on this issue (18 January 2019), the PDR may result in poor quality homes, and the new flats created will not be subject to minimum space standards or affordable housing contributions. It is also noted that while there is provision for collection of Community Infrastructure Levy from such schemes, in practice this has been difficult because of the lack of notification procedures.
I would support boroughs in their use of Article 4 Directions, supplemented by the use of design codes as set out in the new London Plan and draft planning guidance (Good Quality Homes for All Londoners), which would achieve the same certainty but with better quality housing and accompanying affordable housing where that applies.

Westferry Printworks decision

Nicky Gavron: Could you provide copies of all emails, agendas, minutes and notes associated with the planning decision for the Former Westferry Printworks that was made on 27 April 2016, GLA case number 3363. Please include internal GLA emails as well as external emails with personal information redacted where appropriate.

The Mayor: Officers are drafting a response. Please be advised that there may be some delay as there is a large amount of paperwork to collate.

Mayoral meetings and hospitality

Nicky Gavron: Could you provide a list of engagements, hospitality and gifts received by the Mayor of London and/or his Chief of Staff between 1 July 2015 and 1 May 2016?

The Mayor: The previous Mayor’s engagements between 1 July 2015 and 1 May 2016 can be found in the GLA’s FOI disclosure log (page 3 onwards of this response contains the previous mayor’s diary of engagement from 2008 to 2016).
The GLA no longer holds a list of the previous Chief of Staff’s engagements.
The previous Mayor’s gifts and hospitality declarations can be found on here on London.gov.uk.
The previous Chief of Staff’s gifts and hospitality declarations can be found here on London.gov.uk.

School exclusions (4)

Jennette Arnold: How many young people have been reached through Violence Reduction Unit run programmes during the lockdown period?

The Mayor: The VRU are working with over 200 schools and Pupil Referral Units across London though the Supporting Inclusive Schools programme, which was due to start delivery in April. Many of these have schools stayed open through the COVID emergency and all of the PRUs have.
The VRU has supported the PRUs in 13 priority boroughs to hold afterschool and Easter and Mid-term holiday activities where possible. However, attendance has been low due to public health advice and public concern. Figures are currently unavailable as providers focused on immediate and flexible service delivery.
External delivery partners of the VRU and the education settings the VRU supports have adapted their delivery to reach as many vulnerable young people as they can during the lockdown restrictions, primarily via online delivery or other digital adaptations and will continue to do so over the summer.

COVID-19 Adult Education Budget (AEB) response fund (1)

Jennette Arnold: Thank you for your answer to question 2020/1875. Can you confirm how many applicants there were to Strand 1 of the COVID-19 AEB response fund, and when successful applicants will be announced?

The Mayor: The COVID-19 Adult Education Budget (AEB) Response Fund Strand 1 received 26 applications, of which 20 were approved for funding support. The list of successful applicants will be published on 31 July 2020.

School exclusions (1)

Jennette Arnold: Given the known link between children being excluded from school and becoming involved in the drugs trade, will you consider allocating greater resource to supporting those children made even more vulnerable by COVID-19 to remain in mainstream education?

The Mayor: The evidence of the correlation between being exclusion from school and involvement in drugs or serious youth violence continues to grow.
My Supporting Inclusive School programme is currently working with 200 schools in London to create more inclusive environments to support vulnerable young people to stay in school and out of trouble. Delivery partners are adapting support to help students and teachers deal with emerging issues like bereavement and an increase in declarations of domestic abuse, both of which impact directly on a child’s social and emotional well-being and ability to learn.
In response to the increased vulnerability caused by the COVID19 emergency my officers are looking at how we can further support London’s most vulnerable young learners through this crisis. For example, the GLA is a co-funder of the London Community Response Fund and the current funding round is focused on supporting children and young people in the capital during the summer and into the new academic year.

Breach of human right to adequate housing

Siân Berry: A constituent has made me aware of a report from the UN https://spcommreports.ohchr.org/TMResultsBase/DownLoadPublicCommunicationFile?gId=25199 on a private lettings company operating in London, which has breached its tenants’ human right to adequate housing. Will you consider expanding the criteria for including rogue or unlicensed landlords on your database to include cases like these?

The Mayor: My Rogue Landlord and Agent Checker contains information about private landlords and letting agents who have been fined or convicted of a housing-related offence, and its content is governed by strict legal principles. In consultation with my Private Rented Sector Partnership with boroughs, my team will continue to explore options to expand the Checker to further empower renters and support local enforcement against rogue landlords and letting agents.
More widely, I support the UN Special Rapporteur’s conclusions that the Government should urgently reform the private rented sector regulatory framework to ensure renters can access good-quality, secure and affordable accommodation. My blueprint for the private rented sector sets out the steps that the Government needs to take to achieve this.

School exclusions (2)

Jennette Arnold: In Lib Peck’s letter to the Police and Crime Committee on May 18th, she specifically identified the Stepping Stones and Nurturing London programmes as makinga difference for children and young people at risk of exclusion. How much funding is allocated to each of these projects and what metrics are used to monitor their effectiveness? Can you share any metrics on progress so far?

The Mayor: The VRU has allocated £700,000 to fund Stepping Stones in 14 priority boroughs and £345,000 to fund Nurturing London in 15 boroughs. Both programmes were scheduled to begin in participating schools in April but have had to adapt or delay delivery due to school closures.
Both projects will be measured through teacher and parent evaluations, pupil self-evaluation and school data metrics on attendance, attainment and behaviour.
In the three Stepping Stones pilot schools, 74% of students made satisfactory progress in Maths (compared to 54% of the previous year). In English, 83% of students made satisfactory progress (versus 67% of the previous year). Economic modelling from the pilot indicates that the impact on the net budget over 10 years is £515,836 with a return on investment of 212%. A full evaluation of the last two years of the programme will be available in the new year.

Community Infrastructure Levy

Andrew Boff: The Planning and Regeneration Committee has seen that the Mayor has written to the Secretary of State at MHCLG to outline his concerns about the impact of the guidance to local authorities to delay CIL payments. Has the Mayor conducted any analysis on the impact of this guidance in terms of loss of affordable housing via delays to Section 106 payments? How many homes would he expect to be delayed?

The Mayor: I wrote to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on 11th May 2020 proposing planning measures to support the early and robust recovery of the development industry, which will be important for London’s wider economic recovery. This included a time-limited deferral of CIL payments to help support delivery during these unprecedented times, and the Government is now bringing forward legislation to allow for this.
However, I do not agree with the Government’s approach of also encouraging authorities to allow for delays to the delivery of affordable housing. It is not possible to predict the number of homes that could be delayed, but it is unlikely to be beneficial to developers because it would reduce development cashflow and increase market risk. It is also counter-productive as a policy approach because it would slow development, put contractors and supply chains at greater risk and delay the provision of greatly needed affordable housing for Londoners.

Heat resilience (1)

Andrew Dismore: Will your post-coronavirus recovery work provide new funding to make existing buildings, particularly domestic dwellings, more heat resilient?

The Mayor: I have been clear that London’s recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic must be a green recovery. The London Recovery Board will take an overview of the city’s recovery, including his Green New Deal. The principles of the Green New Deal include tackling climate change,creating green jobs, supporting a just transition and addressing inequalities are embedded within this board and will influence all activity we undertake as part of our recovery, including improving the resilience of London's buildings.
These issues are already being addressed to some extent through existing programmes. My Retrofit Accelerator programme is reducing energy use and cutting carbon emissions through retrofitting buildings. It also covers reducing indoor overheating in both domestic and non-residential buildings. I will shortly be publishing guidance on adapting schools to climate change and guidance on how to assess and manage overheating risk in care homes.
New strengthened policies in my new London Plan’ will also contribute to reducing risk of overheating in new buildings in future.

Joint Inspection Team activity

Andrew Dismore: How many buildings in London has the Joint Inspection Team a) visited and b) supported visits for?

The Mayor: As of beginning of July 2020, the Joint Inspection Team has carried out five full inspections in buildings over 18m with unsafe ACM cladding in London.

Underspend in cladding remediation funds

Andrew Dismore: The National Audit Office report into ACM cladding removal noted the social sector and private sector cladding remediation funds will underspend by the time all remediation is complete. Does this forecast apply to the share of the funds allocated to London, and if so how much is the projected underspend (or overspend)?

The Mayor: There is no formal allocation of funds to London - allocation is carried out on a project by project basis. It should be noted that, until all buildings are remediated, total spending within the Social and Private Sector ACM Cladding Remediation Funds will not be finalised. Cladding remediation is complex, with the full scope of works not always known until works begin onsite. Allocations for SSCRF were also based estimates – any variation in costs will only be reconciled at the completion payment.

Review of statues, street names, and other memorials

Andrew Dismore: When will you commence recruitment of the panel charged with the review of statues, street names, and other memorials; how many people do you intend to recruit; what will be the recruitment process; where will the recruitment be advertised; when do you expect the panel to commence work; and when do you expect it to complete its work?

The Mayor: My Deputy Mayor for Culture and Creative Industries, Justine Simons OBE, and Deputy Mayor for Social Integration, Social Mobility and Community Engagement, Debbie Weekes-Bernard are currently developing and consulting on the terms of reference for the Commission for Diversity in the Public Realm.
We will recruit up to 15 independent members of the Commission, working in partnership with councils, communities and stakeholders across the capital. Recruitment for Commissioners will be advertised widely, and outreach will be undertaken in conjunction with our partners and key stakeholders to ensure the widest reach.
It is expected that the Commission will first meet in Autumn 2020 at which point its precise scope and work programme will be set out.

The Need for More Social Housing in London Post-Coronavirus

Caroline Pidgeon: The COVID-19 crisis makes the case for more social housing in London, with its secure tenancy and relative cheap rent, more important than ever. Underpaid keyworkers including nurses, shop staff and bus drivers, amongst many others, must be able to live affordably and securely in the capital. How are you working to further increase the amount of social housing in London following the crisis using your levers and powers as Mayor of London?

The Mayor: I have always been clear that my top housing priority as Mayor was to build more council, social rented, and other genuinely affordable homes and the record shows my approach is working. Last year we started more than 7,000 new homes for social rent – more than were started in the whole of my predecessor’s second term. I’m also proud that more than 3,300 new council homes were started in London last year, the most in any year since 1985.
It is clear that demand for social housing is only expected to grow as we emerge from the current crisis. My Deputy Mayor for Residential Development has called for a recovery package of £5 billion from Government, which puts social housing at the heart of London’s recovery. The package would fund a ‘buyer of last resort’ scheme to allow councils and housing associations to buy unsold private homes at cost price, and turn them into social housing if a buyer cannot be found in the open market. The fund would also support a programme to convert housing currently planned for low-cost ownership and sale into homes for social and low-cost rent, where there is a risk to delivery.

Heat resilience (2)

Andrew Dismore: Will your post-coronavirus recovery work provide new funding to make existing streets, public spaces and public buildings more heat resilient?

The Mayor: The Mayor has been clear that London’s recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic must be a green recovery. He has set up and co-chairs the London Recovery Board which will take an overview of the city’s recovery, including his Green New Deal. The principles of the Green New Deal include tackling climate change,creating green jobs, supporting a just transition and addressing inequalities are embedded within this board and will influence all activity we undertake as part of our recovery, including improving the resilience of London's buildings.
My Greener City Fund is already providing funding for projects taking place this year that will deliver climate adaption in public spaces, including planting thousands of street trees, and neighbourhood greening led by communities. The aspiration of my ‘Cool Spaces project’, which includes working with boroughs, will identify sites of open outdoor areas and green spaces across London’s boroughs where Londoners can take refuge during hot weather. This will also complement the advice by Public Health England on what Londoners can do during a heat wave. My Retrofit Accelerator programme (see Mayor's Question 2020/2333) includes building retrofit measures which address indoor overheating in non-residential buildings
New strengthened policies in my new London Plan will also contribute to reducing overheating risk in new buildings and reducing intensification of UHI effect. Policies encourage greening, using for example green walls and green and blue roofs to mitigate overheating.

Affordable homes (2)

Andrew Boff: Further to your response to question 2020/1685, given that the GLA website only shows site and bedroom breakdowns for the latest quarter and not the whole financial year, could you therefore please provide a complete figure for the number of bedrooms for all GLA-funded affordable starts and completions in financial year 2019/20?

The Mayor: Information about the number of bedrooms on schemes reported within GLA systems is not mandatory, therefore the below table only includes data where it is available.
1 Bed /Studio
2 Bed
3 Bed
4 Bed
5 Bed
Starts on Site
4,612
4,747
1,815
189
1
Completions
2,393
2,822
1,497
254
20
As part of the current programme settlement, the Government require over half the programme to be London Shared ownership/London Living Rent, which often becomes unaffordable for homes with more than two bedrooms.
The 15th London Plan Annual Monitoring Report shows that in 2017/18, 37 per cent of social rented homes completed in London had three bedrooms or more, up from 34 per cent in 2015/16. This figure includes non-GLA funded homes.

Diversity in the London Fire Brigade (1)

Caroline Pidgeon: The Q4 2019-20 People Services Performance Report states that in the last 12 months there has been no overall increase in the numbers of BAME or female individuals in operational senior management in the LFB. Do you think this is acceptable, and what are you doing to address this?

The Mayor: The underrepresentation of women and BAME individuals in operational senior management roles is a serious concern for me and for the London Fire Brigade (LFB). This issue is being explicitly addressed in the Brigade’s new Togetherness Strategy, which was launched on 1st July. Specific actions include: a full review of recruitment and promotions processes, including new training for assessors; support for hiring managers; and a review of advertising and materials to ensure they reflect the new LFB behavioural framework. LFB will also introduce targeted leadership development for underrepresented groups of employees, including BAME groups and women, to support them in progressing through the promotions process. The Brigade will be publishing recruitment and promotions dashboards externally to ensure transparency in this process.

Mental Health Support for Young People (1)

Caroline Pidgeon: How are you working to ensure that there are enough resources to cope with the number of young people requiring mental health support in London, especially since there will inevitably be an increase in those needing help post-lockdown?

The Mayor: As part of my commitment to supporting the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people I will be providing funding to help expand the Good Thinking digital mental health and wellbeing service to young Londoners aged 13 to 18.
My Healthy Schools London programme provides frequent updates to all of London’s borough-based Healthy Schools Teams and has a dedicated mental health section on their website.
I continue to work closely with health and care partners. Healthy London Partnership has been making changes to the online Mental Health in Schools Toolkit through the addition of tailored COVID-19 content. The toolkit, originally developed in partnership with the GLA, aims to provide a range of information and links to relevant guidance and support for schools and commissioners on promoting emotional wellbeing and mental health within schools.
I will also continue to lobby the government to increase expenditure for mental health.

Mental Health Support for Young People (2)

Caroline Pidgeon: Research shows that young people are experiencing worse mental health outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic than their older counterparts. What work are you undertaking with boroughs and other partners to prevent a mental health crisis in London post-lockdown, including supporting teachers who have the challenge of dealing with pupils returning to school who may be suffering from mental ill-health?

The Mayor: In April I chaired a meeting of mental health leaders where we discussed the impact on Londoners’ mental health and wellbeing. This highlighted three clear areas of focus in London and a Task and Finish Group was formed to take forward an action plan based around three work programmes; signposting to help people access support; planning and surveillance of mental health need and data; and harnessing innovation for the future.
Addressing the mental health impact of COVID-19 is a high priority and the London Science and Technical Advisory Cell is supporting pan-London work assessing current and future mental health needs to define action to prevent poor mental health developing.
My Healthy Schools London Team is working with partners to identify how best to support the mental health of school communities including providing webinars, toolkits, training and other resources. The HSL Borough Leads are already trained in Mental Health First Aid.
I will also continue to lobby the government to increase expenditure for mental health.

Ethnic Diversity in the Met

Caroline Pidgeon: Recent figures on ethnic diversity in UK police forces showed that although black individuals make up 13.3% of London’s population only 3.5% of Met Police officers are black. Furthermore, those of Asian heritage make up 17% of London’s population, but only make up 5.9% of Met officers. What will you be doing to make the Met more reflective of the city it serves?

The Mayor: The Commissioner and I share a commitment to make the Met truly representative of the city it serves, and improving the trust and confidence of all Londoners.
The ethnic diversity of all officers and staff in the Met is published every month on the Met’s website: https://www.met.police.uk/sd/stats-and-data/met/workforce-data-report/ Transparency of data is important, but I accept that progress is not fast enough.
And it’s why I have commissioned my Deputy Mayor for Communities and Deputy Mayor for Policing to work with police and communities to draw up an action plan for improving trust and confidence, transparency and accountability and will be looking at enacting it as quickly as possible while understanding we are dealing with very deep rooted issues. The police have come a long way but there is more that needs to be done.

Politicised policing

Tony Devenish: Do you think the Met police have become too politicised?

The Mayor: No. The Met is responsible for delivering my Police and Crime Plan, but it remains operationally independent for the prevention of crime and the safety of Londoners.

State of London Council finances

Andrew Dismore: What has each London Borough reported as being its expenditure due to Coronavirus, what additional funding has been provided to each of them to cover the costs of Coronavirus by the Government, and what is each council’s funding gap?

The Mayor: Based on the data collated by London Councils and reported to its Leaders Committee on 7 July the total estimated impact of COVID-19 across the capital’s 33 local authorities is at least £1.8 billion. This is based on the returns submitted to the Government in May – and this is understood to have increased to around £1.9 billion in June. This data is not publicly available at an individual authority level at this time.
This £1.8 billion reported lost comprises an estimated £1.1 billion in lost revenues through sales, fees and charges as well as expected shortfalls in council tax and business rates income and just over £700 million in increased expenditure. The additional expenditure includes £200 million on adult social care and £50 million on homelessness and rough sleepers along with a similar amount on children’s services.
Taking account of the £500 million in emergency funding the Government provided for London boroughs which has been confirmed so far, the estimated remaining funding gap remains at around £1.4 billion for 2020-21. Of this, around £600 million relates to the period from March to May 2020 alone.
The Communities Secretary announced some additional support for local authorities on 1 July in terms of covering a proportion of their revenue losses from sales, fees and charges, providing an additional £500 million of funding and also allowing authorities to spread their 2020-21 business rates and council tax deficits over the following three budget years.
However, at the date of writing we still await more details about how these proposals will work in practice and some elements of the additional package will not be confirmed until the Spending Review later this year. It is evident, however, that these new proposals will not be sufficient to cover local government funding shortfalls across London and England and the Government therefore needs to provide further support to avoid significant cuts in front line services and job losses.

GLA Risk Assessments (1)

Andrew Boff: You recently announced that some employees across the GLA family will have access to Covid-19 risk assessments. Which members of staff will be denied a risk assessment?

The Mayor: It is not my intention to deny access to risk assessments to any GLA Group employee. We will prioritise risk assessments for those groups with a known vulnerability to Covid-19; BAME staff and those with underlying health conditions. Any other member of staff will be able to request a risk assessment.

The Westferry Scheme (1)

David Kurten: I, along with many other Londoners have been surprised at recent press revelations about the Isle of Dogs Westferry Scheme and the roles played by developer Richard Desmond and Secretary of State Robert Jenrick. What has been your involvement in the Westferry Scheme?

The Mayor: Tower Hamlets Council formally consulted our office on the recent application on the 12 September 2018. I issued comments to the Council on 17 December 2018, raising a number of concerns relating to the impact on open space; the height of the proposed buildings and their impact on the setting of Tower of London; and the failure of the developer to demonstrate that they were providing the maximum reasonable amount of affordable housing. Following the applicant’s decision to go to appeal, GLA officers set out these concerns at a Public Inquiry in August 2019.

The Westferry Scheme (2)

David Kurten: I note a report in the Times of 27 June 2020, which stated: ‘Mr Desmond said that he had revised his original plan from 772 to 1,524 homes in east London after being encouraged by Sadiq Khan during a celebration for the Queen’s birthday at the Royal Albert Hall in April 2018.’ I would be grateful if you could set this press report in context for me.
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/khan-offered-to-fast-track-development-p2bfxnlf6

The Mayor: I have no recollection of meeting Richard Desmond at the Royal Albert Hall.
Transparency, accountability and public scrutiny are really important in all that we do, and that includes planning applications. I have asked, since I have been Mayor, GLA officers to include specific reference in our planning reports to any request for or against call-ins or a direction to refuse, whether formal or informal. I take my quasi-judicial function seriously, and it is really important there is maximum transparency. The Westferry application went through the early stage of the GLA planning process following all appropriate rules and guidelines, before being taken over by the Secretary of State. The GLA’s public stage one report makes it clear that the application was unacceptable, particularly its lack of affordable housing.

Digital divide

Jennette Arnold: As many Londoners shift to working from home for an extended period, there will be large quantities of unused IT equipment in offices across the city. Could you explore the possibility of setting up loan programmes for offices to provide essential tech to London’s schools until all children can return on a full-time basis?

The Mayor: The COVID-19 crisis has exacerbated the long-standing problem of digital exclusion. I wrote to the Secretary of State for Education in May asking that the government’s digital access scheme be extended to all secondary school students, and not only disadvantaged pupils in Year 10, care leavers and those supported by a social worker. We are developing a longer-term response to combatting digital exclusion and will consider the possibility of linking up unused business IT equipment with students without access to devices.
We have also taken steps to support adult learners by enabling Further Education providers the opportunity to buy IT equipment for learners out of their Learner Support funding.
We will be exploring opportunities to collaborate with industry in the coming months to ensure that London’s students do not go without the devices needed to continue their learning.

Stop and Search Increased use (1)

Caroline Pidgeon: There was a 22 per cent rise in stop and search across London between March and April of this year. Do you support the sharp rise in the use of stop and search in London during the lockdown and do you think it will help to build trust with the police?

The Mayor: Stop and search is an effective tool but the context of stop and search is important. Over recent years we have seen an increase in violent crime across the UK. In London we have seen the tragedy of teenagers dying on our streets. Nonetheless, any use of stop and search must be proportionate and accountable.
We need to make a step change to improve relations between the police and communities with a specific focus on black communities so that they feel protected and served. This is why I have commissioned my Deputy Mayors for Policing and Communities to work with the police and communities to draw up an Action Plan for improving confidence, transparency and accountability, including a step change in accountability and transparency of stop and search.

The Commission for Diversity in the Public Realm

Peter Whittle: As I stated at the last Mayor’s Question Time, I am perturbed by your decision to establish a Commission for Diversity in the Public Realm, thus making City Hall the arbiter of history in London. This should make us all deeply uncomfortable - no politician should take it upon themselves to become judge, jury, and executioner of a country’s history. In a liberal democracy, history should be debated and discussed, but never hidden or erased. Whether we like it or not, there are good, bad and ugly elements of Britain's past. London is the site of many national memorials and these reflect Great Britain as a nation, rather than the values of Londoners. How will your Commission address this issue?

The Mayor: The Commission is not seeking to ‘erase’ or be an ‘arbiter of history’. It will open up a debate and work to ensure that we celebrate the achievements and diversity of all in our city.
It is an uncomfortable truth that our nation and city owes a large part of its wealth to its role in the slave trade. While this is reflected in our public realm, the contribution of many of our communities has been ignored. So it is important that as a society we are able to question which legacies are being celebrated.
We will recruit independent Commissioners, work in partnership with boroughs and communities to ensure our street names, squares and statues properly reflect our city's achievements. The terms of reference, including the scope for the Commission, are being drafted in consultation with councils and key stakeholders. I expect the Commission will review what currently constitutes London’s public realm, hold discussions and make recommendations as part of its work to establish best practice in public commissioning.

Desmond House

Andrew Dismore: I recently had to write to Metropolitan Housing with East Barnet Councillors after seeing videos posted to twitter (https://twitter.com/DesmondHouseEN4/status/1273377207554060294) about the state of Desmond House, which showed severe leakages inside properties during recent storms. Do you agree that the condition that residents were left in was unacceptable, and will you write to Metropolitan Housing to layout your expectations of basic maintenance?

The Mayor: My Housing & Land team meet regularly with Metropolitan Thames Valley Housing Association as part of the Homes for Londoners 16-22 programme.
Building management and safety is a standing item on the agenda for these meetings. I am happy to ask my team to raise the issue of Desmond House with them directly to understand what action has been taken.

Students in London [3]

Andrew Dismore: Given the importance of overseas students to London’s economy, do you agree that measures are needed to demonstrate that not only is the UK open to international students, but that it is more open and more welcoming than any other competitor market. Such measures could include, in addition to a major international recruitment campaign, a faster more streamlined visa turnaround time and process.

The Mayor: International students are an important part of our universities, society and economy. That is why London & Partners will be running a major international student attraction campaign in Autumn 2020 / Spring 2021, through the Study London channel and in collaboration with London Higher. The campaign will restate London’s core values as a destination for world-class higher education, while reassuring prospective students that London is safe, open and welcoming.
I am also pleased the Government has confirmed the reintroduction of a two year post-study work visa - the Graduate Immigration Route which will launch in the summer of 2021. I have consistently made the case for this as it is an important part of international student recruitment and will make a real difference to students wishing to study in London.

Students in London [2]

Andrew Dismore: Government is prioritising elite universities through student number controls and measures to create additional places, as well as in research policy development and funding. Do you agree that support is also needed to provide stability to those London based universities who support widening participation and practice-based research, to ensure a healthy recovery which harnesses the potential of disadvantaged learners?

The Mayor: Universities across London play a vital role in creating opportunities for Londoners from all backgrounds and it is essential that London’s relative success at widening participation is not diminished as a result of COVID-19, especially as institutions face financial uncertainty. London’s higher education sector will play a key role in our social and economic recovery from COVID-19 and Government interventions should be designed to support the stability of the sector as a whole.
This is also a time of great uncertainty for prospective students. In my letter to the sector on 22 April 2020, I encouraged all institutions to consider how disruption to this year’s assessments will have affected learner outcomes, particularly learners from disadvantaged backgrounds. Arguably, now more than ever, it is crucial that contextual data around learners is considered when making decisions on admissions.

Students in London [1]

Andrew Dismore: Middlesex University tell me that many of their students don’t have laptops or a calm home environment in which to study. Do you agree that a package of direct means-tested support for disadvantaged London students is needed, which could include subsidised broadband access for students in households who are not yet connected and large-scale schemes for access to equipment, such as laptops, negotiated with commercial providers, with loan schemes or re-conditioned/second-hand equipment offers?

The Mayor: Universities have done an excellent job of moving teaching online as a result of COVID-19, and I know there are many examples of universities across London stepping in to provide laptops, Wi-Fi dongles and other much needed equipment. Many broadband providers also offer student deals with competitive pricing and shorter contracts. Digital exclusion remains a major issue across London and initiatives such as DevicesDotNow have been providing support and equipment to offline households around the country.
From September, the GLA will fund people over the age of 19 with little to no experience in using tech devices and the internet to gain entry and level 1 digital skills. This basic digital skills entitlement will be delivered through London's Adult Education Budget by local skills providers, supporting Londoners to thrive online. We continue to monitor the levels of digital exclusion in London and develop our approach to better align to areas of need.

Publication of Q4 2019 Bus Safety Data

Keith Prince: In your response to Question 2020/0922 in February, you undertook to have TfL publish its Q4 2019 Bus Safety Data before 23 March. When will this data be published?

The Mayor: Transport for London intends to publish its Quarter 4 2019 bus safety data before the end of July. This has been delayed owing to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

TfL BAME Bus Fatalities

Keith Prince: Since you were elected Mayor in May 2016 until 30 September 2019, at least 34 people were killed in Bus Safety incidents. How many of these fatalities were BAME?

The Mayor: As part of STATS19 reporting, when compiling the collision records, police officers enter their judgement of the ethnicity of the casualty in accordance with their Identity Codes. The data for 2019 is provisional and still subject to change. However, between May 2016 and 30 September 2019, 8 fatalities have been classified as involving those from a Black, Asian or Minority Ethnic background. A further 7 fatalities are categorised as unknown ethnicity in the collision records.

Croydon Tram Crash

Keith Prince: As a result of the Croydon Tram Crash, were TfL or its contractor First Group TOL investigated for Corporate Manslaughter?

The Mayor: I refer you to the 31 October 2019 statement from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) https://www.cps.gov.uk/cps/news/cps-statement-croydon-tram-crash-charging-decision which includes the following:
“Corporate Manslaughter:
The CPS also considered whether there was any realistic basis for prosecuting any of the companies involved for the offence of corporate manslaughter, contrary to section 1 of the Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007 - for example the company which owns the trams and tramline and the company which runs the system and employs the driver.
There is no evidence that any of the companies was guilty of gross organisational failures that caused the deaths of those who died in this incident, as would be required for this offence to be made out. No defects were discovered in either the tram or the tram track that could have accounted for the derailment. It is clear from the evidence that the sole cause of this tragic incident was the driver losing awareness and control of his driving task.”

Force management statement

Unmesh Desai: When will the Met be releasing their force management statement for 2020/2021?

The Mayor: Because of COVID-19, HMICFRS paused inspections and the FMS requirement across forces. There was therefore no FMS produced for May 2020. However, the process will start again in the autumn, with a timetable to be confirmed. As in previous years, the MPS does intend to publish the next Force Management Statement.

Waste reduction and recycling targets during coronavirus

Caroline Russell: Could you provide an update on the effect coronavirus has had on meeting your waste reduction and recycling targets?

The Mayor: I have now approved all 33 borough waste Reduction and Recycling Plans (RRPs). Taken together, if implemented in full by the boroughs, the RRPs are expected to increase London’s household waste recycling rate from 33% today to 40% in 2022.
After lockdown, some boroughs raised concerns that implementation of their RRPs may be delayed due to capacity issues. I responded to say that we recognise and agree that responding to the pandemic and maintaining waste services was a priority, but hoped that efforts to reduce waste and increase recycling through activities set out in RRPs could continue where possible and where it is safe to do so.
My officers are regularly engaging with boroughs to understand the impact of the pandemic on the programme of work set out in their RRPs and to agree any new timelines and courses of action that may be needed. It is too early to fully understand the full impact coronavirus will have on my targets but early discussions have shown there have been delays to some RRP actions from the boroughs, particularly those focussing on commercial waste, communications and events. Budget uncertainties are also impacting some plans and we will work with boroughs to help find efficiencies, from measures such as sharing resources or service reviews to help reduce costs and better incentivise recycling.
I have called on government in implementing their Resources and Waste Strategy to bring forward their support for boroughs to ensure London gets its fair share of support for waste and recycling services.

Use of Tasers Against BAME communities

Navin Shah: The IOPC have recently called for greater scrutiny on use of Tasers following a series of incidents and increasing BAME community concerns. Do you agree whether there is need to investigate and support the strong concern about the increased use of Tasers against members of the black and minority ethnic communities?

The Mayor: I am aware of the public concerns on the disproportionate use of taser. I have commissioned my Deputy Mayor for Communities and Deputy Mayor for Policing to work with the police and our communities to draw up an action plan for improving trust and confidence, transparency and accountability in the police and use of force will form a key part of this.
It is important officers have the equipment they need to keep themselves and the public safe. Of course, all such equipment must always be used in a proportionate and transparent way and any use of force must be recorded. Officers must also be properly trained in their use. I will continue to hold the Commissioner to account for this.

Removal of Statues

Navin Shah: Has the Commission for Diversity in the Public Realm identified any further statues, landmarks or street names to be recommended for removal/change?

The Mayor: I have asked my Deputy Mayor for Culture and Creative Industries, Justine Simons OBE, and Deputy Mayor for Social Integration, Social Mobility and Community Engagement, Debbie Weekes-Bernard, to urgently create the Commission for Diversity in the Public Realm.
The Commission will work in partnership with boroughs, communities and the many stakeholders who manage the capital’s heritage, public and private spaces to ensure that the public realm properly reflects our city’s achievements and diversity. Commission members will be recruited through an open process and the terms of reference for the Commission are currently being developed through consultation.
The Commission’s scope will be wide and will consider how we can proactively improve diversity, which may include of street names, murals, street art, memorials, squares and statues. The Commission will also make recommendations as part of its work to establish best practice in public commissioning.

Changing Careers and Adult Education Post-Coronavirus

Caroline Pidgeon: The COVID-19 pandemic is impacting our economy in unprecedented ways, with many people losing their jobs. How are you working to use your adult education budget to best support those who are having to change careers during this difficult period?

The Mayor: I have recently increased funding for the Skills for Londoners COVID-19 Response Fund to £11 million (from an initial £9 million) to help adult education providers create more learning and training opportunities for their learners during the pandemic.
Strand 1 of this fund will support additional provision meeting the immediate demand for learning and skills in light of COVID-19 and will specifically support:
I am also taking steps to give providers more flexibility within their budgets to deliver tailored provision targeted at meeting labour market needs, so learners are better equipped to access new employment opportunities or support their career progression. Further details on these measures will be published in the GLA’s forthcoming Adult Education Budget Funding and Performance Management Rules 2020/21.

Working from home and mental health

Andrew Boff: What research have you undertaken into the impact of working from home on mental health?

The Mayor: Thrive LDN has been reviewing the extent to which different people have been working from home and the effect it has been having on Londoners mental health and wellbeing as part of an active monitoring framework.
ONS have expanded the Opinions and Lifestyle Survey to include the social impacts of coronavirus and homeworking in the UK labour market. The latest findings have shown that over half of working adults said the pandemic was having an impact on their work with the most common impacts reported relating to working from home.
The intelligence gathered from the active monitoring framework has shown that the implications of COVID-19 has and will continue to affect people in different ways.
As the city moves into a period of transition and recovery, Thrive LDN will continue to engage with and support Londoners who have been challenged socially and mentally.

Working with English Heritage

Murad Qureshi: On the Commission for Diversity in the Public Realm, how do you intend to work with English Heritage who are responsible for many of the disputed statues in Central London boroughs, for example City of Westminster? Also, have we identified a place to move statues for example the new premises of the London Museum in Smithfield Market, Farringdon?

The Mayor: I have asked my Deputy Mayor for Culture and Creative Industries, Justine Simons OBE, and Deputy Mayor for Social Integration, Social Mobility and Community Engagement, Debbie Weekes-Bernard, to create a Commission for Diversity in the Public Realm to consider how we can create a public realm which properly reflects our city’s achievements and diversity.
The Commission will work in partnership with boroughs, communities and the many stakeholders who manage the capital’s heritage, public and private spaces. My Deputy Mayor for Culture and Creative Industries, Justine Simons OBE, has already been in touch with Historic England and English Heritage who will be partners in this programme. My Culture Officers are in touch with many of London’s boroughs as we move forward with this programme including Westminster City Council.

Making Sure Accurate and Up to Date COVID-19 Case and Testing Data is Available to Local Authorities in London

Caroline Pidgeon: It has been widely reported that the spike in COVID-19 cases in Leicester, resulting in a ‘local lockdown’, has been partly due to the speed at which the Government and Public Health England passed over COVID-19 data to the local authority. How are you working with boroughs to insist the Government passes this information over more quickly to ensure boroughs in London, alongside the London Transition Board, can act against such spikes quickly and effectively as and when they arise?

The Mayor: I have written to Matt Hancock, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, asking for London region data which shows a comprehensive picture across the different areas of testing and contact tracing activity. I think it is important to publish the London region data to build public confidence and will continue to press for this.
I have met with senior Government representatives including: Professor John Newton, National Testing Coordinator; Professor Chris Whitty, Chief Medical Officer for England; Sir Patrick Vallance, Chief Scientific Adviser; Lord Bethell, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Innovation; and Baroness Harding, Chair of the NHS Test and Trace Programme; to ensure the specific needs of London are considered as part of the Government’s national system. I have weekly meetings with my statutory Health Advisor and Regional Director for Public Health England (PHE) London, Professor Kevin Fenton.
Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, Public Health England’s London Coronavirus Response Centre has been providing data to London Directors of Public Health on a daily basis to keep them informed of any new cases in their borough, across all pillars of testing. This active surveillance has helped detect local clusters of cases and enable swift action to stop further spread.

London housing market and crime

Murad Qureshi: Are you concerned about reports that a London property, 60 Sloane Avenue, has allegedly been involved in a £40m money-laundering scheme involving the Catholic Church and an Italian businessman whose dealings have been subject to many criminal investigations? Is enough being done to stop the lucrative London property market from being used as part of money-laundering, corruption and other forms of international white-collar crime?

The Mayor: I will not comment on this specific case, which is subject to ongoing investigation. But yes, I am concerned about investment of corrupt money in London’s property market – something documented by Transparency International. And there is clear evidence that Londoners share my concern.
That is why I believe that, where property is purchased by a company registered abroad, the beneficial ownership of that company should be in the public domain - as is the case when UK-registered companies buy property. I have repeatedly made my view clear to the Government. I am disappointed that it did not follow up its 2017 call for evidence on this issue and will continue to urge it to act to make the property market more transparent.

Supporting housing

Murad Qureshi: With domestic violence up dramatically after the enforced lockdown in response to the global pandemic, what can we expect for the supported housing sector in the foreseeable future?

The Mayor: Services for victims of violence against women and girls have worked tirelessly so that victims can continue to be helped throughout lockdown, and my emergency funding of £1.5 million has ensured safe accommodation and support for those forced to flee their homes during the pandemic. Demand for specialist supported accommodation such as refuges – already in short supply before COVID-19 - is likely to increase as lockdown eases, so it is essential that more funding is directed to this sector.
The Government’s Domestic Abuse Bill provides a great and timely opportunity to increase provision. But the Government must provide sufficient resources both for new provision and to enable authorities tasked with new responsibilities to carry them out.
In the meantime, my £50 million Move On Programme is helping to free up much-needed refuge spaces. In addition, I have also made funding available through my £40 million Homelessness Change Programme for the remodelling of refuges to make them Covid-safe.

Green New Deal funding

Caroline Russell: In the final GLA budget for 2020-2021 you allocated £50 million towards a Green New Deal. Could you now share what plans you have to spend this money?

The Mayor: As you will be aware, the GLA is currently undergoing budget reviews in light of the coronavirus crisis and so it is not possible to comment on the specifics of this at present.
However, I would like to reassure you that while we have to take into account the financial challenges presented by COVID-19, a cleaner, greener recovery for London needs to support the transition of the economy to one that is inclusive, resilient, low carbon and circular. I remain committed to the Green New Deal as a way of tackling the climate emergency and delivering this recovery. It will be achieved not only through the work that the GLA does and the work of the London Recovery Board, but also through calling on London’s businesses, communities and the UK Government to play a role.

People facing street homelessness in London (2)

Siân Berry: In your answer to my question 2020/1467, you told me that between 400 and 800 people are still sleeping rough each night in London. Could you provide an update of this estimate?

The Mayor: According to CHAIN data, the weekly number has ranged between 369 to 554 for the last four weeks - an average of 414 people each week.

Health in all Policies

Andrew Boff: How are you utilising and adapting your "health in all policies" approach to tackle the issues of Covid-19?

The Mayor: As part of my Health Inequalities Strategy, the GLA is increasingly taking a ‘health in all policies’ approach which considers and prioritises health and wellbeing across the social, economic and environmental factors impacting London. This means working with teams across the GLA to ensure that health and wellbeing are part of everything we do.
COVID-19 has highlighted the importance of a health in all policies approach, and we have adapted our work in response to the pandemic. Examples include: my health and homelessness teams have worked closely to instigate plans to deliver safe accommodation for 1,300 rough sleepers, supported by outreach COVID-19 testing and drug and alcohol services; my Streetspace for London Plan will transform our streets and enable millions more to safely walk and cycle on their daily journeys, promoting active travel and improving air quality; and policy teams are working together to focus on promoting employee wellbeing and good work during COVID-19.

Supporting Londoners in Need During Lockdown

Jennette Arnold: How have you been filling the gaps in the Government’s furlough scheme and supporting Londoners whose employers (such EPayMe) have refused to put them onto this scheme?

The Mayor: The Government’s support packages have helped many employees through the lockdown so far. But there are still many who are not receiving the support they need, or lack adequate workplace rights.
I have called on the Government to provide long-term investment to support the capital’s economic recovery. This follows my representations to government to allow part-time furloughing, support workers for whom furloughing has lowered their income to below minimum wage, ensure support for those with mixed PAYE and self-employed income, and a targeted extension to the scheme beyond October for the hardest hit sectors.
Since the start of the pandemic, my officers have developed a new £1m business support programme and pivoting our existing support to respond to the needs of London’s businesses. I have also set up a £2.3m ‘Culture at risk business support fund’ for grassroots music venues, LGBTQ+ venues and artist studios.
It’s important that workers understand their rights and how to enforce them. My Employment Rights Hub is being regularly updated with the latest information about how workers’ rights pertain to the current situation. It is available in more than 20 languages, in written and video format, including guidance about income support schemes.

Helping private renters facing arrears debt

Siân Berry: In your statement on 22 April 2020, calling for measures to solve the problems faced by private renters due to the coronavirus crisis, you included a call to: "restore Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates to median market rents, and cover any shortfall in rental payments of private tenants unable to pay them due to COVID-19." With new figures showing that nationally over 120,000 private renting families are now in debt due to rent arrears built up over the coronavirus crisis, could you clarify whether your call for housing benefit changes includes backdating it to clear rent debts, so they are no longer owed by affected renters?

The Mayor: Almost a third of Londoners rent privately, and COVID-19 has underlined the precariousness of their situation. Measures put in place by the Government to date fall short of what is required to properly protect renters from financial hardship and eviction.
My ‘triple lock’ protection for renters would ensure that the welfare benefits system covers any shortfall in rental payments of private tenants unable to pay them due to COVID-19, including arrears accumulated. I have made clear that these protections should be available to all renters, including those with no recourse to public funds and European Economic Area (EEA) nationals not currently entitled to welfare benefits. I have just written again to the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government to reiterate these points.

Risks to London’s Economic Recovery

Leonie Cooper: What are the main risks to London’s economic recovery that have been identified by the Recovery Board?

The Mayor: At the inaugural Recovery Board meeting some of the key risks to economic recovery were identified as: the need to improve confidence in the city, the need to protect young people from the worst impacts of the economic shock, the challenges of digital inclusion, the challenges to the viability of the creative and cultural sector and London’s transport sector with social distancing in place.
More detail can be found in the minutes of the meeting - https://www.london.gov.uk/sites/default/files/20200604-lrb-minutes-final-apps.pdf

Build to let buildings

Andrew Dismore: The National Audit Office report into ACM cladding removal noted build to let buildings have no recourse to the remediation funds and this is stalling works. How many build to let buildings are affected by this in London, how many dwellings do they contain, and what efforts is the GLA taking to enforce remediation?

The Mayor: Data on the number of buildings with unsafe ACM that are outside of the scope of the Private Sector ACM Cladding Remediation Fund is not available to the GLA and is held by Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG). Primary responsibility for enforcement sits with local authorities, supported by the Joint Inspection Team.

Sector Specific Business Support following COVID-19

Leonie Cooper: The economic impact from COVID-19 will hit some sectors harder than others with construction and manufacturing hit particularly hard at the start of the virus and hospitality and cultural and creative industries likely to be hit particularly hard in the coming months. How can we offer specialised support to different sectors?

The Mayor: Since the start of the pandemic, my officers have been developing new business support programmes and pivoting our existing support to respond to the needs of London’s businesses. In April 2020, my Construction Academy team pivoted to support the London Growth Hub address queries and identify support for the sector. I have also set up a £2.3m ‘Culture at risk business support fund’ for grassroots music venues, LGBTQ+ venues and artist studios. My culture at risk team has set up a new casework management system to allow for effective collaboration within the GLA and with local authorities that enables distribution of information to stakeholders about funding resources, gather intelligence and also to track, categorise and prioritise casework.
Additionally, the London Growth Hub is developing a peer to peer business support offer that will be delivered through a sectorial approach, that will help us understand in more detail the impact caused by the pandemic and the requirements of various sectors.

Low interest Rates and London’s Businesses

Leonie Cooper: How are you encouraging businesses to take advantage of historically low interest rates which could provide a boost to businesses?

The Mayor: My London Growth Hub business support programme delivers regular webinars on Access to Finance, where attendees are equipped with invaluable information about the different types of finance available for their business, advice on raising equity, innovation funding and the availability of emergency loan support packages. All London businesses can access free one-to-one advice through the London Growth Hub’s team of advisers, who can support them to identify and apply for funding. The London Growth Hub also signposts users to finance finder tools which scour the market for the most suitable type of finance for their business.
Last May, I launched a new £100 million fund, the Greater London Investment Fund (GLIF) which provides loans to small and mature businesses that are seeking finance. This now includes £4.3 million of funding that has been repurposed to provide Coronavirus Resilience Loans (CRLs), using the Government’s CBILs guarantee. This means the loans will be provided at 0 per cent interest for the first year.

Digital Support for Businesses following COVID-19

Leonie Cooper: The crisis has accelerated and intensified the shift towards a digital economy. How will you be working with your Deputy Mayor for Business and your Deputy Mayor for Planning, Regeneration and Skills to ensure that all Londoners are able to thrive in a more digital economy?

The Mayor: My forthcoming Technology Adoption Service will offer an information and signposting service which will support London’s businesses to accessthe technologies they need to continue business activity during these challenging trading conditions, and support recovery from the impacts of COVID-19.
My Digital Talent Programme is a £7m investment to help women and BAME Londoners aged 16-24 years get the skills to fill digital, creative and technology occupations across London’s economy.
We also know that digital skills are increasingly important in the world of work. An estimated 90% of all jobs in the next 20 years will require some form of digital skills. From September the GLA will deliver the national basic digital skills entitlement (BDSE) for all adults over the age of 19. The BDSE will be funded through the Adult Education Budget and allow learners to gain the entry and level 1 digital skills essential for work and life.
As we move into the recovery phase of covid-19, we will be working closely with London Councils to combat digital exclusion through our ‘missions-based approach’.

Re-opening of Retail and Hospitality

Leonie Cooper: How is the London Transition Board coordinating the safe re-opening of further retail and hospitality outlets in London?

The Mayor: The Transition Board has a wide remit providing strategic direction for the pan-London response to COVID-19 as London begins to reopen its economy while still controlling the virus. At the meeting of the Board on 1 July, issues around a safe reopening of hospitality and supporting retail to trade viably were discussed including an in-depth discussion on the challenges related to licensing and planning.
To support reopening, I established a High Streets Reopening Task and Finish group with representatives from a range of local authority services, the Met, licencing experts and business bodies to help coordinate action and additional guidance in the run up to the reopening of restaurants, cafes and bars.
I have also directly supported small businesses to reopen safely through providing free access to business support advisers and webinars through the London Growth Hub, and particularly the Covid-19 Support Hub on the Growth Hub website.

Sunday trading

Leonie Cooper: What is your view on the relaxation of Sunday trading laws and the potential impact in London?

The Mayor: The current Sunday trading laws, which only permit larger shops to open for a maximum of six consecutive hours between 10am and 6pm whilst allowing smaller shops longer opening hours to maintain their economic viability, have proven to be a good compromise.
I understand the concerns of unions, small shops and business, family groups and religious groups about the possible relaxation of Sunday trading laws. I also understand extended opening hours could potentially increase annual sales for large retailers in areas of London where tourists make up a large proportion of the customers and could help to secure retail jobs in those areas in the future.
I will continue to work with trade unions and businesses to support the retail sector and protect workers’ rights as we move forward with the important task of recovering London’s economy.

Overcrowding performance indicators (1)

Andrew Boff: What performance indicators are in place to measure the size of bedrooms in new developments?

The Mayor: While the London Plan has many policies to ensure good quality housing, the size of bedrooms itself, is not a Key Performance Indicator to the London Plan. That being said, as part of monitoring, the LDD collects information on total floor space of units and number of bedrooms.
This data collection will now form part of the new Planning London Datahub. For further, more detailed information on the project please visit: https://sway.office.com/PCbVYR7X9hbgdKJD?ref=email

Plastic Recycling

Murad Qureshi: How much of London’s plastic waste is going to Turkey right now?

The Mayor: There is no official data on how much of London’s waste is exported internationally. Analysis used to inform my London Plan showed that London exports around 1.3 million tonnes of waste internationally each year, mostly to Europe and China for recycling and incineration. It is illegal to export waste for landfill.
Specific amounts and types of waste by final destination are not known or robustly quantified as waste can first travel through a number of treatment facilities and there is no requirement to report it. The Government in developing its Resources and Waste Strategy has responded to my call to put in place a more robust national waste data and monitoring framework. More details from the government are expected over the next year.
Please see also Mayor’s Question 2020/2275.

Support for London’s Homeless

Navin Shah: A constituent, referring to a recent article in the Independent on 14 GLA hotels used for homeless people during the pandemic, has expressed concerns that the GLA is gradually stopping the use of these hotels. Can you provide details of how many hotels you are still using to place homeless people; how are you phasing such accommodation out, how many have had their contracts extended and for how long and what support is being offered to those people being asked to move out of these hostels?

The Mayor: Hotel accommodation has been vital to help rough sleepers self-isolate safely during lockdown. But it is not a long-term solution. We currently have 12 hotels open, accommodating over 1,000 people, and have extended contracts for at least eight hotels to the end of July. We are working closely with MHCLG to develop plans and secure funding for beyond the end of July, as we know that many hundreds of people will still require emergency accommodation into August and beyond. My In For Good principle is being implemented by the GLA and the boroughs –so that everyone has an offer of support and no-one needs to return to the streets.
The Government has announced a package of additional funding for move-on accommodation as part of its Rough Sleeping Accommodation Programme. In London this funding will be allocated by the GLA in partnership with MHCLG.
However, the Government have still not indicated what support will be made available for non-UK nationals once the public health emergency is over. Without a suspension of no recourse to public funds (NRPF) rules and the habitual residency test for EEA nationals there is a very real danger that rough sleepers who are non-UK nationals could return to the streets. Our partners are working to provide support to help rough sleepers regularise their immigration status where this is possible.

Bicycle thefts

Murad Qureshi: Please provide the total number of reported bicycle thefts in 2017, 2018, 2019 and in the first six months of 2020? Please also advise how many sanction detections were recorded for bicycle thefts in each of these years.

The Mayor: Please see the figures below:
Calendar Year  Bicycle Theft Offs Bicycle Theft SDs
2017   21,408  355
2018   19,600  215
2019   20,129  219
2020 to 30th June    8,748  146

Cladding

Murad Qureshi: ACM cladding and other fire risks has meant building insurance has been critically compromised for leaseholders in blocks like M&M Buildings, Paddington Walk, W2. This is putting even more strain on their overburdened finances and is a huge cause of anxiety. What can the London Fire Services do to help them get fire insurance at a reasonable price in light of the risks?

The Mayor: I am deeply concerned about leaseholders in buildings with unsafe cladding having to bear the twin financial burdens of interim fire safety measures and sky-high insurance premiums. This is a national problem that requires a national response. GLA officers have repeatedly raised this with central Government, and will continue to do so following a recent meeting between affected leaseholder groups and my Deputy Mayor for Housing.

Learning Disability Nurses

Navin Shah: Care Quality Commission (CQC) data has shown a 134 per cent rise in deaths among people with a learning disability this year. Harrow Mencap are campaigning for more learning disability nurses to be stationed in hospitals, as their insight and expertise can help save lives. Will the Mayor support this call?

The Mayor: Work by Public Health England has shone a light on the stark inequalities exacerbated and created by COVID-19. This Care Quality Commission (CQC) data demonstrates a significant increase in deaths of people with a learning disability or autism as a result of COVID-19, whom we already know to be at an increased risk of respiratory illnesses, and this should be considered in the learning disability deaths review process requirement introduced in recent years. Risks assessments, access to testing and prompt medical assessment could also be key to reducing infection and saving lives.
The CQC work also shows that the impact on this group of people is being felt at a younger age than in the wider population – something that should be considered in decisions on testing of people of working age with a learning disability.
I will ensure that these issues are raised, together with the proposal for more learning disability nurses, as part of the work of the new Health Equity Group, chaired by Professor Kevin Fenton, my statutory health adviser, and London Regional Director of Public Health England.

Alternatives to Hotel Accommodation for Rough Sleepers

Navin Shah: A constituent has written to me to suggest that homeless people could be temporarily housed in moored cruise ships on the Thames as rough sleepers are being moved out of hotels. Could this be a viable option?

The Mayor: I am keen to explore all possible options, as long as they provide good quality, reasonably priced accommodation that is safe for our cohort – in relation both to COVID-19 risks and wider health and safety. If this is the case, then potentially the option suggested by your constituent could be viable.

Housing Start on Site & length of contracts

Murad Qureshi: What is the average length of building contracts started on sites in 2018, 2019 & 2020 and the extensions of time given on these contracts on the various sites?

The Mayor: The GLA does not hold information on specific build contracts and extensions of time granted on specific schemes. This is a matter for housing providers and their contractors.

Supported housing funding

Murad Qureshi: The challenges facing people who are sleeping rough in London have been even more sharply brought into focus during the pandemic. The Government has announced funding for more supported housing; however this will not be sufficient to house everyone who needs it. With that in mind, please provide an update in terms of money allocated and remaining, starts, and completions, on the Mayor’s current programmes for supported housing, including the Move-On Fund.

The Mayor: As at 30 June 2020, c.£175 million of funding had been allocated through my dedicated programmes to support delivery of c.2,600 homes for vulnerable Londoners. The position for starts, completions and funding is set out in the table below.
Starts
Completions
Allocated units
Allocated funding
Unallocated funding
Care and Support Specialised Housing
1,451
708
1,696
£114m
£27m
Move On
74
67
197
£29m
£21m
Homelessness Change and Platform for Life
542
384
661
£32m
£8m
Total
2,067
1,159
2,554
£175m
£56m

Green Dale pitch and playing fields

Caroline Russell: Constituents have contacted me regarding your decision that special circumstances warrant relocating the Green Dale playing pitch onto Green Dale Playing Fields, which is designated as Metropolitan Open Land (MOL). Moving the pitch onto the MOL will mean loss of free, open access sports facilities for a dense urban area. During the coronavirus lockdown, the fields and the path alongside have been used much more extensively than before and the loss of open-access space would hit local people hard. Will you reconsider your decision given the new awareness of the need for open space for exercise and leisure?

The Mayor: Policies in my London Plan recognise the importance of open space for exercise and leisure. With respect to the particular application you refer to, the stadium building is located outside of the MOL designation, as such the development located on the MOL includes only the enhanced playing surface and associated infrastructure. The proposed pitch replaces an artificial pitch currently in situ but currently in an unusable and unsafe condition. The provision of a replacement pitch is an appropriate facility in terms of the existing use for outdoor sport and recreation which preserves openness and does not conflict with the purpose of the designation. Very Special Circumstances must, however, be demonstrated for the pitch enclosure, floodlighting and associated infrastructure. The Mayor’s Stage 1 response set out the view that Very Special Circumstances exist for the boundary enclosure, floodlighting and associated infrastructure on the basis that the club is required by the FA to include those measures for this facility. It was also noted that through this application there would be enhanced routes from within the residential site towards the MOL. The Mayor was clear in his response to Southwark Council that a full community use agreement to allow users of the existing playing fields to benefit from the enhanced facilities (including facilities such as the changing rooms) must be robustly secured as part of any future permission. Once the application is referred to the Mayor for his Stage 2 decision, he will have an opportunity to review the community use agreement, along with other matters.

Incinerator use in London

Caroline Russell: Your Environment Strategy states that by 2030, 65 per cent of London’s municipal waste will be recycled. Yet, London sends 58 per cent of local authority collected waste to incineration while recycling just 33 per cent. I met with the North London Waste Authority on 25 June 2020 to ask them to pause and review their incinerator expansion plans before they put the construction contract out to tender. Will you join me in this request?

The Mayor: All boroughs have now agreed Reduction and Recyling Plans. The RRPs set out commitments and targets for cutting waste and boosting local recycling performance that will collectively make an effective contribution to meeting my 65 per cent municipal waste recycling target and divert more waste from incineration and landfill.
I have been clear that London is facing a climate emergency and does not need more waste incinerators and that London does not need any further waste incinerator capacity to manage the city’s non-recyclable waste. I am proceeding with a legal challenge to judicially review the government’s decision to grant a development consent order for a new waste incinerator in Bexley.
The Edmonton replacement incineration facility was approved by the Secretary of State in February 2017 and supported by my predecessor. An attempt for a judicial review on the Government’s decision was unsuccessful in November of last year and NLWA have already started their procurement. NLWA’s replacement plans include a detailed specification for the facility to operate in combined heat and power mode to make it as efficient as possible. My focus now is to ensure that NLWA facility manages truly non-recyclable waste, operates to the most stringent air quality standards possible and maximises the use of both the heat and electricity generated. With respect to the latter this includes ensuring the identified heat off-take provision is built out meeting my carbon intensity floor emissions performance level, and used to supply a strategic area-wide heat network for decarbonising heat in this part of North London.
Please see also Mayor’s Question 2020/1836

Building in net zero emissions to London’s coronavirus recovery

Caroline Russell: At the final meeting of the Climate Assembly UK in May 2020, members discussed the changed context for reaching net zero created by the coronavirus pandemic and overwhelmingly agreed that: “steps taken by the government to help the economy recover should be designed to help achieve net zero.” As the London Recovery Board begins to navigate London’s future in a post-crisis world, will you commit to ensuring that any steps taken meet this statement?

The Mayor: The London Recovery Board, co-chaired by the Chair of London Councils, Cllr Peter John, and me, co-ordinates the planning for London's long-term recovery effort and I have always emphasised that the recovery needs to be a green one. This will be a recovery that must catalyse and accelerate a just transition to a low carbon circular economy in London. I have been advocating for this since becoming Mayor and have enshrined this goal into my strategies, including the Economic Development and London Environment Strategies.
The nature of London’s recovery will form an integral part of accelerating my commitment to making London a zero carbon city by 2030 and tackling the climate emergency. Central to the London Recovery Board’s remit will be how we can decarbonise our economy, modernise our public transport and support green innovation, skills and crucially, job creation.
As an example, my Green New Deal for London – announced prior to the pandemic – is all about growing our economy whilst tackling our environmental challenges, creating the jobs of the future for Londoners and supporting the green industries that are crucial to meeting our city’s climate targets.

Support for Grassroot Music Venues

Caroline Pidgeon: In London, grassroot music venues hold huge cultural and economic importance. Will you support the Music Venue Trust’s campaign to government for support for grassroots music venues during this difficult time, and what will you be doing as Mayor to support these grassroots venues?

The Mayor: I’m a great supporter of the work of Music Venue Trust, who are a key partner in our work to support grassroots music venues. I’m pleased that the Government has listened to their call to support music venues as part of its £1.57bn investment package for the arts.
This announcement follows the £450,000 I provided through my Culture at Risk Business Support Fund for London’s grassroots music venues, which Music Venue Trust is administering. This funding is offering dedicated advice to venues, as well as cash grants to those most at risk of closure now due to COVID-19.
While the Government’s announcement is welcome news for venues, it must also support the thousands of freelancers who work across the sector and vital creative businesses in the creative supply chain. It is crucial this money is distributed fast and that it addresses inequality.
Prior to COVID-19, our work, including planning protections such as Agent of Change and our Culture at Risk Office, helped to stabilise grassroots music venue numbers after more than a decade of decline.

Expanding the ULEZ to reduce coronavirus infections

Caroline Russell: In the June 2020 DEFRA report, Estimation of changes in air pollution emissions, concentrations and exposure during the COVID-19 outbreak in the UK, experts said that: “it would not be surprising if there was a link between exposure to air pollution (past or present) and the occurrence or severity of COVID-19 infection.” Given this, will you look at extending the boundaries of the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) out to the existing Low Emission Zone boundary to improve and expand the reduction in NO2 already seen within the current ULEZ borders?

The Mayor: The COVID-19 outbreak has highlighted the way air pollution affects health; not only is there emerging evidence of a potential link between exposure and the severity of the illness but long term exposure to high levels of air pollution has long been known to contribute to the underlying conditions that exacerbate COVID-19 symptoms.
The expanded ULEZ boundary includes inner London where the air pollution problem is most acute. However, due to the way many vehicles travel across London, this will deliver air quality benefits for the whole of London. After ULEZ is expanded and tighter standards for buses, coaches and lorries are introduced Londonwide, just 4 per cent of roads in outer London will be exceeding legal limits in 2021. These will be addressed by a variety of measures including Low Emission Neighbourhoods, reducing pollution from other sources such as construction, and supporting the transition to Electric Vehicles. These are equally effective, and quicker, ways of improving those remaining small areas in outer London which exceed legal limits.
Expanding the ULEZ, however, is not the only way I am seeking to improve air quality. As London moves beyond mere compliance with existing legal limits toward a zero emission transport network I remain committed to achieving the best air quality of any major world city and meeting the World Health Organization targets for PM2.5 no later than 2030. To meet this ambition I will be working with the boroughs to roll out Zero Emission Zones, fully electrifying London’s bus fleet by 2037 at the latest and using the planning system ensure that new development is not only low emission but also contributes to creating liveable spaces that encourage walking and cycling and the first choice for transport.
Not all air pollution in London is generated locally, or from transport, which is why I am asking the Government not only to match my ambition by enshrining the WHO target in law but also to delegate the powers I need to effectively tackle emissions from non-transport sources.

ACM cladding and building insurance

Andrew Dismore: Residents in Paddington Walk are affected by the ACM cladding crisis which has meant their building insurance has been critically compromised. The management company has struggled to secure terms to renew the policy, and they risk having no cover or see premiums raised by a truly shocking 1000% which puts even more strain on their overburdened finances due to the cost of interim fire safety measures and is a huge cause of anxiety. What can you do to persuade the Government of the scale and urgency of finding a solution for these residents and others affected by insurance difficulties?

The Mayor: Though this problem is felt acutely in London, it can only be solved by nationwide action from central Government. My team has raised concerns about the insurance industry, both for industry professionals and for buildings, with Government in the past. My Deputy Mayor has been meeting with affected leaseholder groups and they have once again raised concerns on this. As such, my team will redouble efforts to ensure the Government are taking concerted action on this issue.

Affordable homes (1)

Andrew Boff: Further to your response to question 2020/1686, can you confirm how many of the 7,416 GLA-funded affordable homes started in 2016/17 are part of the current programme and therefore count towards the 116,000 target? Of these, how many have been completed?

The Mayor: All of the 7,416 starts on site reported in 2016-17 contribute towards the target to start to build 116,000 affordable homes. The target cover starts on site from April 2015 onwards.
As noted in the response to Mayor's Question 2020/1686 details of projects that completed prior to 2017 for legacy programmes were closed in the historic system and were not fully transferred to the current GLA Open Project System. Records for these projects are held offline and would need a manual reconciliation. Of the records that were transferred to the GLA Open Project System, 6,866 of the 7,416 starts on site noted in 2016-17 have completed. Details for 550 remaining starts would need to be verified manually.

Resources for reconfiguration

Jennette Arnold: Are you concerned that small businesses, concentrated in poorer areas of London, will not have the resources to adhere to COVID-secure guidance?

The Mayor: I am concerned about the future of London businesses, including those in parts of London that may be disproportionately affected and less able to shoulder the financial cost of becoming COVID-secure. I share the frustration of many hospitality businesses that Government did not give them enough time to prepare for reopening, potentially adding costs to the changes required to restart.
My London Growth Hub established an online Covid-19 support hub and pivoted to deliver support virtually so all businesses can benefit. It includes a section on reopening with advice and information to help businesses navigate the COVID-19 outbreak and prepare to reopen safely.
Those businesses hardest hit, including SMEs in the hospitality, leisure and retail sectors still desperately need financial support to continue to adhere to guidance and bridge the gap in reduced capacity and business viability. I have called on Government to extend further financial support to businesses to reopen safely.

COVID-19 Adult Education Budget (AEB) response fund (2)

Jennette Arnold: How will you monitor the success of funding awarded under both strands of the response fund, to ensure it is working for providers during this highly volatile time?

The Mayor: For the COVID-19 AEB Response Fund Strand 1, providers are required to record learners through the Individualised Learner Record (ILR) data returns that are provided to the GLA from the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA). The GLA will monitor participation under Strand 1 through this data. For Strand 2 capacity building, the GLA will monitor progress through the autumn term progress meeting with each provider.

Equality data on businesses given support grants by your Growth Hub

Caroline Russell: Could you share any equality data you hold on the owners of businesses who are applying for support through your Growth Hub?

The Mayor: The Growth Hub does not currently provide support grants. However, it has supported businesses access government support schemes including the small business grants distributed by local authorities.
Of the businesses supported by through the London Growth Hub’s core business support programme since the start of the Pandemic (mid-March), 38% % were BAME owned businesses, of which 10% from Black African origins, 7% Black Caribbean, 5% Asian Indian and 5% other Asian. 38% of businesses indicated to have a majority female ownership in their business, compared to 33% male owned businesses. In terms of disability, 3% of businesses reported to have a disability in comparison with 65% who stated not to have a disability, and 30% who preferred not to say.
Our “Navigating the Crisis Webinar Series” supported 326 businesses, of which 30% described themselves from BAME background, the majority of whom were of Asian ethnicity. 44% were female and 6% of participants considered themselves to have a disability.
Our ‘Start Up Step Up London’ programme specifically aims to support BAME, women and disabled founders and employees. The programme provided support to 55 businesses since its starts in Dec 2019. 63.5% of these businesses were from BAME background, particularly from Black/African/ Caribbean origins; 63.6% were female, and 14.5% reported to have a disability or health condition.

Health Equity group (2)

Jennette Arnold: What are the terms of reference for the Health Equity group and will you publish its meetings and papers in future?

The Mayor: As outlined in the response to the previous question, the details are still being finalised, and it is not for me to pre-empt this work. I can confirm however that the group will be looking at the items outlined in Professor Kevin Fenton’s recent London Health Board paper, including the implementation in London of the recommendations of the report that Professor Fenton led for national government regarding the disproportionate impact on Black, Asian and minority ethnic populations.
We will update the London Assembly with further details when they are agreed, including regarding the publication of meeting papers.

London's Pandemic Preparedness

Andrew Boff: Is there anything else you could have done to better prepare London for a pandemic?

The Mayor: It is important to acknowledge that this pandemic has been truly unprecedented – no one has ever seen anything like it before. In these circumstances it’s not possible to be completely prepared, and many elements of the response have been completely new. London made thorough preparations for its pandemic response. The preparations that London puts in place to deal with emergencies are tested time and time again – through exercises, and also sadly through incidents. The extensive work undertaken by the London Resilience Forum (LRF) in preparation for a no-deal Brexit proved some of the most useful preparations to deal with the response to COVID-19.
There are always lessons to be learned for everyone involved in events like these, and the LRF has already undertaken an interim review of the first wave of the pandemic, in preparation for any future waves.

Coronavirus and planning

Andrew Dismore: Do you expect planning rules and guidance to start including social distancing measures and pandemic prevention measures as part of the planning process? If so, in what way?

The Mayor: My draft London Plan already provides a flexible framework that can work effectively in many different circumstances. The policies are forward thinking, and are able to address many of the priorities emerging as a result of the pandemic, including a number of prevention measures as well as measures to support a green recovery - for example encouraging more walking and cycling, the protection and enhancement of green open space, responding to the climate emergency, the delivery of good quality homes, ensuring minimum space standards, the promotion of town centre strategies and the use of design codes.
Guidance can be changed more rapidly to respond to specific circumstances to provide advice and leadership for London as a whole, although it is unlikely that it will contain specific details on issues such as social distancing, as the advice around this is continuing to evolve. I will keep the situation under review, particularly in light of the Government’s announcements about changes to permitted development rights and planning reforms, which have the potential to impact adversely on our high streets and employment areas as well as the ability to secure funding to provide the infrastructure needed for new development.

Encouraging recycling [1]

Andrew Dismore: Do you agree with me that encouraging more recycling is a vital component of London’s environmental and waste management challenges? Recently, I came across a case of a residents association in East Finchley which is being charged £1000 to swap two waste bins for two recycling bins. Do you agree that this is a disincentive to recycle, and that Barnet Council should amend their policies to remove such a charge?

The Mayor: Reducing waste and increasing recycling is a key part of my London Environment Strategy (LES). I have set a target of 50 per cent of household waste recycled by 2025. One of the interventions described in the LES to achieve this is for all properties to receive a collection of, at a minimum, the six main dry recycling materials, i.e. glass, cans, paper, card, plastic bottles and mixed rigid plastics.
The charging for containers for waste and recycling remains at the discretion of individual boroughs and some choose to charge as a mechanism to help cover the costs they incur. The charge for communal bins is higher than for bins for individual properties as they are larger.
Requests for new or additional containers in Barnet are chargeable, however the cost of household recycling bins is lower than the cost of refuse bins to incentivise recycling. Requests made for changes from one type of container to another in Barnet are considered on their own merits but I would expect that the borough would act to incentivise recycling wherever possible.
I estimate that London requires a minimum of £100m of investment in local recycling services to reach my targets and have requested this money from the Chancellor and the Secretary of State. They have not provided London with this money, but I will continue engaging with the Government to make sure that London gets its fair share of funding for investment in local authority services to drive up recycling performance.

Health Equity group (1)

Jennette Arnold: How is the membership of the Health Equity working group, to form part of the London Recovery Board, being decided?

The Mayor: I understand the details of the newly agreed Health Equity Group are still being agreed by the senior health and care leaders who have proposed it, with a draft terms of reference under development. At the time of writing, some initial decisions had been made, including that the group will be co-chaired by my statutory health adviser and Regional Director of PHE London – Professor Kevin Fenton, and a senior colleague from a London local authorities. My health policy advisor, Dr Tom Coffey, will sit as a member, alongside other senior representatives of London’s local authorities, public health community and the NHS. The Group will report into the London Health Board, as well as reporting into the London Recovery Board.
We will update the London Assembly with further details when they are agreed, and of course welcome colleagues’ input.

Infectious Disease Transmission Advice

Andrew Boff: Have you acted on all the advice given to you regarding the prevention of transmitting infectious diseases in London?

The Mayor: The Government has issued guidance and advice relating to a broad spectrum of areas including preventing, managing and controlling transmission of the virus, which applies to every individual, organisation and community in London.
I have worked with the London Strategic Coordination Group to ensure the guidance is disseminated and promoted in London. Where guidance has been ambiguous or where policy considerations specific to London needed to be addressed, I have advocated to Government for greater clarity and better nuancing of guidance.
As a place of work, the GLA family has worked closely with PHE London, our Health Team, Facilities Management Team and Human Resources Team to ensure we are protecting our staff and implementing all relevant guidance. I have used my role as a leader to role model best practice, in line with the guidance, including working remotely throughout the pandemic.

Inclusive commissioning

Onkar Sahota: How can the GLA become better at inclusive procurement to enable small and community organisations to deploy their expertise despite the legalistic processes involved?

The Mayor: As the GLA Group’s Responsible Procurement Policy and Implementation Plan outlines, we are committed to ‘Removing barriers in our procurement approaches and processes that inhibit Small to Medium Enterprises (SMEs), community sector organisations, diverse enterprises and under-represented groups from easily entering our supply chain.’
As part of this commitment, my Central Responsible Procurement Team have completed significant engagement with key stakeholders, including the Federation of Small Businesses, networks that support small and diverse businesses (MSDUK, WEConnect, RIA SME working group, GLA Regeneration leads), as well as with small and diverse businesses themselves via two focus groups to understand the barriers to them entering the GLA supply chain and discuss implementable changes that can be made to support them.
The recommendations from the above engagement have been developed into an action plan, to be presented at the GLA Group Collaborative Procurement Board on the 22nd July.

Communications for future COVID-19 outbreaks

Onkar Sahota: Do you agree this pandemic has shown the necessity of involving community organisations in public health messaging, and what are you doing to ensure this is done better in preparation for outbreaks in future?

The Mayor: I agree with Professor Kevin Fenton when he rightly identified in his recent PHE report, that culturally competent health campaigns designed in partnership with communities, will help save lives.As we continue to respond to COVID-19 nobody must be left behind.
I will continue to work with community groups across London to ensure that our public health messaging is reaching Londoners from all backgrounds. As part of this I am asking my health team and public health experts to brief and answer questions as part of the regular conversations we are having with businesses, community and civic society groups. These conversations will continue and will feed into our communications planning.
I continue to share public health messages as widely as possible through advertising, media, social media and stakeholders. This has included doinga number ofinterviews on communitypublications andmedia outlets, using the BT inlink advertising network to share key public health messaging, and commissioning translations of guidance into more than 60 community languages.

Impact on health inequalities from delayed treatments

Onkar Sahota: What discussions have you had with health leaders to ensure that long delays for surgery and elective procedures does not worsen health inequalities in London?

The Mayor: I have met regularly with colleagues from NHS London, PHE London and others throughout this crisis – including regular meetings with Sir David Sloman. Continuity of care and NHS recovery has been on the agenda several times, and I have been reassured by Sir David Sloman that services have now been stepped back up, with an initial focus on surgery, diagnostics and screening programmes. Delivering on all of these requires building the public’s confidence about physically accessing NHS services as GPs have seen a reluctance to be admitted to hospital, despite services now being available. This will continue to be a key focus of discussion in my regular meetings with Sir David.
At the recent London Health Board, I chaired a specific discussion on health inequalities, and endorsed the establishment of a new Health Equity Board, reporting to the LHB, to: undertake immediate action to improve take-up in health and care settings; scale up culturally appropriate prevention; re-engaging and building trust with BAME communities; building anchor institutions as exemplars; and using data, intelligence and insights.

GLA Risk Assessments (2)

Andrew Boff: What preparation and mapping out of the GLA BAME risk assessment policy was undertaken before its announcement?

The Mayor: All relevant senior leaders within GLA family organisations were consulted prior to the announcement of the Mayor’s intent to implement risk assessments for staff who are more vulnerable to COVID-19; i.e. BAME staff and those with underlying health conditions. Each organisation has consulted with trade unions and staff networks, and is now working to embed the practice of risk assessments appropriate to its specific circumstances.

GLA Risk Assessments (3)

Andrew Boff: What measures will be considered as a result of the GLA BAME risk assessments if an employee is found to be at risk?

The Mayor: If a heightened level of risk is confirmed via the risk assessment process, all options which may reduce that level of risk will be considered. This may include continuing to work remotely or altered work patterns. Measures will be specific to the individual set of circumstances and will aim to lower the level of risk that any individual could be exposed to during their working time. Work is ongoing to ensure that all GLA buildings are confirmed as COVID secure workplaces, which will also play a large part in reducing the level of risk that any individual may face.

GLA Risk Assessments (4)

Andrew Boff: How will the level of risk be measured within the GLA BAME risk assessments?

The Mayor: A working group comprised of officers with expertise in this area (public health, equalities and fairness) plus representatives from UNISON and our BAME staff network and staff network for disability are designing the detailed risk assessment process, which will be guided by expert occupational health advice through TfL. It is likely that for those prioritised staff (BAME and those with underlying health conditions) this will comprise an assessment of the individual’s ‘Covid age’ in accordance with the guidance currently issued by the Association of Local Authority Medical Advisors.

Future financial support during future waves

Leonie Cooper: What conversations are you or the London Transition Board having regarding Government financial intervention for workers and businesses if there were to be a second or third wave of COVID-19 infections?

The Mayor: My priority is to ensure we do not have a second or third wave of COVID-19 infections. Londoners have worked hard and made huge sacrifices to drive down the virus to low levels, but as we open again, we must not be complacent about the importance of following public health guidelines. We cannot afford a resurgence in our city. I have repeatedly urged Ministers to address the continuing problems with the test and trace system and bring about rapid improvements.
The Government is already failing to rise to the scale of the challenge needed to protect workers and businesses. Despite repeated promises from Ministers, the Government actions to prevent a historic rise in unemployment are simply insufficient and will be even more so if there were to be a second or third wave of infections. I will continue to raise the importance of adequate financial intervention for those workers and businesses that have been the hardest hit across London.

Support for young people in the wake of the coronavirus crisis

Siân Berry: As a result of the coronavirus crisis we are already seeing jobs losses in the hospitality and retail sectors which are likely to be predominately affecting 18-24-year-olds. What action will you take to support this cohort of young people to prevent them becoming a ‘lost generation’?

The Mayor: Since the outbreak of COVID-19, I have been extremely concerned about the impact that this virus is having on London’s young people. Initially, financial flexibilities that London quickly put in place ensured the stability of the further education sector, through which I fund thousands of training courses for young people. My Skills for Londoners COVID-19 Response Fund allowed many providers to access additional funds to increase the number of courses available, as well as to support the digital means through which much learning is now taking place.
I am supportive of the increased funding announced by the Chancellor for the National Careers Service as well as for the Kickstart scheme, however my officials are still working with the colleagues in the Department for Education and Department for Work and Pensions to gain a better understanding of what this will mean on the ground for the young people of London.

Impact of the coronavirus crisis on young people

Siân Berry: The GLA Economics Labour Market Analysis, released on 27 May 2020, reported that across the UK one-third of 18 to 24-year-old employees (excluding students) have lost jobs or been furloughed, compared to one-in-six 35 to 49-year-olds. Could you provide me with data on the number of job losses, furloughs and pay cuts affecting 18 to 24-years-olds in London?

The Mayor: Official data on regional job losses by age is not timely or readily available, however we can use claimant count[1] data as a rough indication. The latest claimant count data for London reveals that there were 70,190 claimants who were aged 18-24-year olds in May 2020 and 43,840 claimants in April 2020.
Official statistics show there were 1.07 million furlough employment in London by 31st May 2020. Regional breakdown of this data by age is not available. However, the Resolution Foundation (which is also the source of the data referenced in the question) report some insightful statistics[2] on (1) job losses, (2) furlough and (3) pay cuts for the UK: (1) 9% of 18-24-year-olds reported having lost their job (2) 24% of 18-24 year olds were furloughed and (3) one-in-three 18-24-year-old employees have seen their pay reduced.
[1] Claimant count data is to be interpreted with caution as not all claimants will be unemployed
[2] RF analysis YouGov, Adults aged 18 to 65 and the coronavirus (COVID-19) 6-11 May

Crowding in green spaces (3)

Leonie Cooper: Much of London’s green space currently is private gardens, which is why I appeared at the Examination in Public for the London Plan to argue for increased provision for accessible green space in housing developments. Given how the need for green space has become so obvious in recent weeks, will you consider looking again at my suggestions to improve the Urban Greening Factor?

The Mayor: Policy G5 ‘Urban Greening’ in my new London Plan requires the integration of features such as pocket parks, green roofs and walls, sustainable drainage, and other environmental features, in order to meet an Urban Greening Factor score. G5 sits alongside and complements other London Plan policies that protect open space and encourage new provision.
This is a new and ambitious policy which sets challenging but achievable targets that are beginning to be implemented by developers. The preparation of the new London Plan is subject to a statutory process which is now waiting for final sign off from the Secretary of State (SoS). As such, there are no further opportunities to amend plan policy outside of those policies that were subject to direction by the SoS. However, we will continue to monitor the implementation of this policy once the London Plan is finally published to ensure its effectiveness and, ultimately, inform any future revisions to secure appropriate urban greening measures.

Support for microbusinesses (1)

Caroline Russell: At the meeting of the London Assembly Economy Committee on 17 June 2020. Rowena Howie, London Policy Chair of the Federation of Small Businesses said there were 885,000 microbusinesses in London. She highlighted the diversity of people involved in small business and stressed that support needs are varied. How are you targeting support for microbusinesses to recognise that one type will not fit all?

The Mayor: The business support offer provided by the London Growth Hub responds to the individual needs of businesses. Each business that engages with the Growth Hub’s business advisers has access to a one-to-one meeting to identify specific business needs and support available to address them. This support is available to all established micro-businesses as well as small and medium enterprises, regardless of sector or turnover.
My officers hold regular meetings with business representatives and community organisations to understand their requirements and where possible develop specific support. An example of this is a targeted intervention that will be delivered in July to support early years care providers such as childminders to ensure that they are fully compliant with the new requirements caused COVID-19.

Peer-to-peer support for businesses in London

Caroline Russell: At the meeting of the London Assembly Economy Committee on 17 June 2020, Richard Burge of the London Chamber of Commerce and Industry said he wanted your Growth Hub to do more to enable peer-to-peer support between businesses. Will you instruct your Growth Hub to enable more peer-to-peer support in future?

The Mayor: In response to the new demands for business support that have arisen as a result of the pandemic my officers are developing new programmes to help London’s businesses. This will include a significant programme of facilitated peer-to-peer support which is currently in development. Our engagement with businesses has told us that businesses rely on their peers for advice and guidance, but not all businesses have the same access to this support. We therefore see a clear role for the Growth hub to facilitate these relationships.
In the Autumn, I will be launching a programme delivered with City’s Business School, that will work with a cohort of 20 businesses per month for a period of a year to promote peer-to-peer learning and shared learning in preparing for economic recovery.

ThriveLDN

Onkar Sahota: Is ThriveLDN, the Mayor’s mental health and wellbeing programme, providing support to Londoners whose mental health has been affected by COVID-19, whether that be due to bereavement, isolation or health anxiety?

The Mayor: Thrive LDN are coordinating the public mental health response to COVID-19 in London on behalf of Public Health England Office for London. They have rapidly mobilised a wide-ranging and considered response on behalf of partners. This includes projects to understand and address the impact of bereavement, isolation and anxiety on Londoners’ mental health and wellbeing, as well as projects to signpost Londoners to a range of mental health resources and support available to them.
Thrive LDN produce regular summaries of available information on the impact of COVID-19 on Londoners’ mental health and wellbeing from research, stakeholder engagement and community participation, and use these to work with partners to identify areas where action is needed.

Skills

Leonie Cooper: How can your Skills for Londoners programme support those Londoners who have lost their jobs as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic?

The Mayor: I have moved quickly to adapt GLA’s skills and employment programmes in order to support the newly unemployed. We have introduced more flexibility in the Adult Education Budget and extended entitlements so that more Londoners can access level 3 courses, upskill, retrain and find work. We are also developing new European Social Fund projects to support the newly unemployed and those most at risk of redundancy.
The London Progression Collaboration’s ‘Reskilling the Recovery’ Fund has secured over £1 million (and growing) in pledges from large business partners to create apprenticeships for Londoners in small businesses. Meanwhile, the London Enterprise Advisor Network is keeping businesses and education institutions actively engaged to ensure impacted young people are aware of available opportunities.
My new London Recovery Board will allow us to create new opportunities, strengthen partnerships (for example with Job Centres) and influence national government. We will share its outcomes in due course.

Blue light collaboration

Tony Devenish: Will you consider an integrated estates and back office strategy for blue light services to merge MPS, LFB and LAS estates / back offices to drive tens of millions of pounds of savings to protect front line public services?

The Mayor: Property sharing already takes place in selected sites. A collaborative bid by the three blue light services to One Public Estate has recently been confirmed as successful and this has secured funding to examine further potential opportunities to collaborate on property matters.
My team is looking at all options for savings across the GLA Group, including looking at the possibility of introducing more shared services. As we do this, we must be mindful of the unique circumstances of each functional body, and the need for back office services to support specialised front-line work. There may be circumstances in which these services can be shared, and my team is looking into this.

Public body cooperation

Tony Devenish: Will you consider opening talks with London Councils and NHS London in order to merge staff posts and departments and buildings, to eliminate any duplication in functions to protect front line services?

The Mayor: As I set out in my Budget Guidance published on 26 June I have established a GLA Group Collaboration Board chaired by my Chief of Staff which will consider how we can realise the maximum benefits from joint working within the Group and also with similar interested organisations including London’s 33 local authorities and the NHS.
The Board will look at both back office functions and front line policy areas covering similar professional areas to examine ways to eliminate duplication while meeting statutory requirements.
There will also be an aspiration to be able to offer some of these streamlined services outside the Group in the future in order to maximise revenue generation as well as reduce costs and also to work with potential external partners during their development.

Key worker housing

Tony Devenish: Do you agree with Olivia Harris, CEO of Dolphin Living, that key worker housing has been ignored by policymakers for far too long? If so, how do you plan to address this?

The Mayor: Key workers play a crucial role, and as Olivia Harris points out, they have kept the country functioning during this health crisis. But rising rents, insecurity and the inability to afford a home have placed increasing strains on many key workers in London.
I have been clear that more needs to be done to support Londoners, including key workers, in meeting their housing need. Through my Affordable Homes Programme, I have delivered a record number of new affordable homes, and my London Plan (Intend to Publish version) policies will help ensure that public sector land makes a greater contribution to delivering affordable homes in future. With NHS trusts and other partners, I established the London Estates Board so that surplus land can be identified, and proper investment secured to deliver the affordable homes key workers need.
My London Housing Strategy also makes clear my support for genuinely affordable homes for keyworkers, including intermediate homes such as London Living Rent and Shared Ownership.

Return to Work

Tony Devenish: Will you add your voice to calls to encourage both public and private sector workers back to the office, at least part time with suitable social distancing during July to help save jobs?

The Mayor: Government guidance still states that workers that are able to do so should work from home. Working from home has minimised transmission and relieves pressure on London’s public transport network. Social distancing on public transport is not be possible unless we radically reduce the overall number of people travelling. By working from home, Londoners are allowing the network to be used for essential travel and by those who cannot work from home.
There is no such date identified yet by Government for office-based businesses. Transport for London continue to prepare for the return of office-based employers and are engaging with businesses to understanding their plans and levels of readiness, as well as modelling levels of demand to inform TfL messaging and operational plans.

Local Electricity Bill

Tony Devenish: Does the Mayor support the Local Electricity Bill?

The Mayor: The Local Electricity Bill purports to offer a solution to the issues preventing local and community generators to sell their energy locally and realise the full value of their electricity. However, it contains very little detail as to how it would realistically achieve this. I would therefore not be in a position to support the Bill as it stands. We will continue however to monitor its progress through Parliament.
I have however supported the deployment of local renewable generation through my London Community Energy Fund, through which a number of groups are providing cheaper electricity locally to schools and other public buildings. For example, phase 1 of the London Community Energy Fund supported solar projects on nine schools in Ealing, which is estimated will save them roughly half a million pound in energy costs over 20 years.

London Power (2)

Tony Arbour: Can the Mayor clarify whether or not the deal with Octopus means that London Power customers must have any correspondence with London Power on it?

The Mayor: As part of the contract, the service provider was required to produce a full suite of London Power branded communications, approved by the GLA, for use in customer communications (see question 2489 for more information on branded and co-branded communications). Any automated correspondence will use these approved, London Power branded templates (direct responses to customer queries, e.g. if a customer has a specific enquiry about switching or about their account, are not scripted/template based). The service provider cannot directly market any services towards London Power consumers which are not London Power branded or co-branded (with the exception of mandated messaging).

LFB independent audit committee

Andrew Dismore: When will the Independent Audit Committee be set up and will its membership and papers be published?

The Mayor: Interviews for Audit Committee membership are due to take place at the end of August 2020 and the timetable for the first meeting will be scheduled thereafter. The membership of the committee will be in the public domain and governance arrangements, including the publication of reports, are being considered as part of the preparation of the establishment of the committee.

LFB decarbonisation progress

Andrew Dismore: What impact has the coronavirus pandemic had on LFB's works to achieve a 60% reduction on 1990 emission levels by 2025 and become carbon neutral by 2050?

The Mayor: Preparatory work is underway to deliver London Fire Brigade’s (LFB) carbon strategy actions to achieve the 2025 target. This includes installing LED lighting, photovoltaics, and improving heating controls. There have been minor delays in taking forward some preparatory works due to limitations on access to fire stations due to the risk of COVID-19. This is reviewed regularly and LFB is looking at ways to move this work forward as soon as it is safe to do so. It is too early to identify any impact on the carbon neutral aims for 2050.

Overcrowding performance indicators (2)

Andrew Boff: What performance indicators are in place to measure the number of bedrooms per home in new developments?

The Mayor: Whilst bedroom numbers are not a Key Performance Indicator to the London Plan, this information together with total floorspace of units are collected as part of the LDD.
This data collection will now form part of the new Planning London Datahub. For further, more detailed information on the project please visit: https://sway.office.com/PCbVYR7X9hbgdKJD?ref=email

Working from home (3)

Leonie Cooper: In your opinion, does London’s housing market, particularly private rented accommodation and house shares, provide Londoners with suitable working from home conditions and what can we do to support those Londoners who may struggle working from home for these reasons?

The Mayor: Working from home has helped limit the spread of COVID-19 in London and thereby saved lives. But some Londoners live in situations where working from home is a real struggle. Overcrowding is worst in the social rented sector, but worse for all renters then for owner-occupiers. It can also be especially difficult for the growing numbers of single people and couples who share accommodation, usually in the private rented sector, to work from home.
The London Growth Hub provides information for employers on tools and approaches that help with working from home. My Housing team has also been working closely with local authorities to help them identify and address the worst, unlawful housing conditions during lockdown.
Longer term, shortages of space can best be tackled by building enough new homes to meet London's needs, particularly social housing for households who are homeless or overcrowded.

TfL Staff Furlough (3)

Susan Hall: Is it correct that TfL are ‘topping-up’ the salaries to 100% of its furloughed staff and, if so, what is the cost of this?

The Mayor: Transport for London (TfL) value its people and recognise the commitment they have shown since the start of the crisis to implementing the Government and Mayor’s advice to help stop the spread of coronavirus and save lives. TfL is topping up salaries to 100 per cent which was the right thing to do for its staff and provides certainty to its people during a challenging time for everyone.
TfL was told by the Government on the 20 April that it was eligible for the furlough scheme. Given the lack of certainty on funding and despite continuing to operate services for critical workers, TfL announced furlough of 25 per cent of its workforce, nearly 7000 staff, on the 24 April, with effect from 27 April. The speed in which this decision was taken was critical to preventing further cash depletion. This will have saved TfL around £41 million to the end of July.
TfL estimates the total cost of topping up salaries to 100 per cent is just under £26m over the same period.

Use of Fingerprint Scanners in the Met (2)

Caroline Pidgeon: Please provide a breakdown of those who had their fingerprints scanned by Met officers in the last year broken down by: a) month, b) BCU, and c) ethnicity.

The Mayor: The attached documents the volume of fingerprint searches by BCU for each calendar month over the past year.
There is no legal requirement to record the ethnicity of a person whose fingerprints are captured. The MPS does not currently record the ethnicity on the device. This is recorded by officers when completing stop forms.

National Housing Federation’s ‘Homes at the Heart’ Campaign

Caroline Pidgeon: The National Housing Federation has launched the ‘Homes at Heart’ campaign, urging the government to put building more social housing at the centre of the economic and social recovery from COVID-19. Not only would this boost the economy, but it will ensure everyone has a safe, secure and comfortable place to live, which this pandemic has highlighted the importance of more than ever. Can you confirm whether you will support the campaign and add your voice to those lobbying the Government on behalf of this campaign?

The Mayor: The Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the extent of the housing crisis and underscored the need for all Londoners to have access to a safe, good quality and genuinely affordable home. I welcome the launch of the “Home at the Heart” campaign and I wholeheartedly agree with the need for Government to put social housing at the centre of recovery from Covid-19.
My Deputy Mayor for Housing convened the Housing Delivery Taskforce to focus on exactly this. The Taskforce have agreed that a £5bn emergency investment package is needed from Government to keep London building, protect construction jobs in the capital and increase the supply of new social homes. I will continue to make this case to Government, along with others in the sector.

Measuring the success of LFB's transformation

Andrew Dismore: When will London Fire Brigade publish a suite of measures to track the impact of its transformation plan?

The Mayor: Officers at London Fire Brigade (LFB) are currently considering a number of draft measures to track the progress of the transformation plan against the programme and to understand the impact of the plan's interventions on LFB outcomes. This work was delayed by the reallocation of resources to help support the response to COVID-19, but is now progressing under the guidance of the newly appointed Director of Transformation. Final agreement and presentation of the measures will go through the normal governance route and should be available by the autumn.

LFB transformation plan updates

Andrew Dismore: Will you publish quarterly updates on progress of the programmes in LFB's transformation plan?

The Mayor: Yes, updates on progress against the transformation plan will feature as a new section in London Fire Brigade’s normal quarterly performance report.

LFB incident command training operator

Andrew Dismore: Will all incident commander training be delivered under the Babcock contract, rather than requiring Fire Service College supplements, after this year?

The Mayor: By the end of this financial year it is anticipated that all level 1 and 2 incident command training will be delivered through Babcock via new incident command training courses that have been developed with London Fire Brigade (LFB). These levels of command encompass the vast majority of LFB’s training requirements. LFB and Babcock are also in the process of developing new courses for level 3 and 4 incident command. It is anticipated that these courses will come online early in the next financial year. LFB is therefore currently not intending to use the Fire Service College to supplement incident command training in the 2021/22 training year.

LFB incident command training recommencement

Andrew Dismore: What delay to acquisition, refresher and revalidation IC training has been caused by the suspension of most in person training owing to the coronavirus pandemic?

The Mayor: Incident command acquisition, refresher and revalidation training was suspended between 23 March and 8 June due to the pandemic. Level 1 acquisition training for Sub Officer/Station Officers continued throughout this period as suitable control measures were implemented to minimise risks to delegates. A recovery training plan was implemented from 8 June 2020 to ensure that all incident commanders receive the appropriate training. The forecast delivery dates to meet the HMI action plan and Transformation Plan remain unchanged.

Crowding in green spaces (2)

Leonie Cooper: Your Streetspace programme is already making a huge difference for social distancing on streets. Will you consider adding pocket parks and other forms of local green space to the programme?

The Mayor: The Streetspace programme has been implemented to ensure social distancing as Londoners return to work and the high street. By necessity, the initial interventions have been implemented rapidly and are temporary (implemented through Emergency Traffic Orders). Many boroughs have introduced planters, including an prototype ‘concrete jungle block’ (https://airqualitynews.com/2020/06/22/green-roadblocks-to-hep-prevent-a-surge-in-post-lockdown-traffic/) as modal filters to prevent or limit vehicle access to pedestrianised streets.
Many of these interventions, it is hoped, will become permanent over time, especially where current Streetspace interventions coincide with Low Traffic Neighbourhoods which were already being planned. As the designs for the permanent solutions come forward, they will, in consultation with local stakeholders,and where appropriate, include pocket parks, street trees, sustainable drainage or other environmental measures in line with the objectives in my Environment Strategy and Transport Strategy.

Crowding in green spaces (1)

Leonie Cooper: According to the Fields in Trust green spaces index, London has the lowest level of green space access in the country, with just 18.96 square metres per person compared to a national average of 32.94. Do you agree with me that attacks on Londoners for seeking out green spaces during lockdown are totally wrong, and that instead we should all be working together, including with support from Government, to increase green space provision in London?

The Mayor: The Fields in Trust Green Space Index is a useful tool but it is based on national data which underestimates the amount of green space in urban areas. More granular data compiled by Green Space Information for Greater London (see https://www.gigl.org.uk/keyfigures/) indicates that London has over 28,000 ha of accessible green space rather than 17,000ha identified in the national data. On this basis London’s provision is nearer the national average.
Nevertheless, there are areas of London deficient in accessible green space and clearly it is wrong if Londoners with limited access to green space do not feel free to seek out places to visit or exercise away from their immediate neighbourhood.
The pandemic has demonstrated the need for greater provision of green space and greener public realm in London in areas deficient in open space. My new London Plan policies on Open Space and Urban Greening require additional provision through new development, and my Greener City Fund has supported over 250 green space improvement projects for local neighbourhoods.
My Transport Strategy aims to deliver many more Liveable Neighbourhoods were streets are transformed into public spaces that favour walking and cycling. My Streetspaces programme will also create opportunities to help deliver this ambition, although further financial support from Government will be essential to accelerate delivery.

Waste self-sufficiency

Leonie Cooper: A recent BBC investigation found that waste exported to Turkey for recycling was often being dumped or burned, which highlights the importance of your goal for London to be waste self-sufficient. What progress has been made towards this target?

The Mayor: There is no official data for how much of London’s or the UK’s waste is exported internationally for onward management. In developing my new London Plan, analysis showed that London manages around 7.5 million tonnes of its own waste and exports around 11.4 million tonnes per year. The majority of exported waste (around 10 million tonnes) goes to waste facilities in the East and South East of England. London exports the remaining estimated 1.3 million tonnes of waste internationally, mostly to Europe and China, for recycling or for incineration. It is illegal to export waste for landfill. London also imports and manages around 3.6 million tonnes of waste. This gives a current waste net self-sufficiency figure of approximately 60 per cent – 14 per cent higher than when the current London Plan was published.
My new London Plan Policy SI8 requires boroughs to plan for and deliver the capacity needed to manage their apportioned amounts of waste in order to reach my London-wide target of 100 per cent net waste self-sufficiency by 2026. This, coupled with my new circular economy Policy SI7, will help boroughs and major development schemes to cut waste, boost recycling rates, manage more waste locally and transition to a circular economy.

Committee on Climate Change

Leonie Cooper: The Committee on Climate Change’s Annual Report has warned that Government needs to act now to prevent a post-lockdown surge in carbon emissions. How are your officers lobbying Government to have the ambition necessary to prevent a climate catastrophe, which could hit Londoners especially hard due to the urban heat island effect?

The Mayor: As I outlined in my address at the Centre for London recently, it is imperative that we grasp the opportunity to stimulate a green, fair and prosperous recovery from COVID-19. A strong recovery and a ‘green recovery’ are not mutually exclusive, but one and the same. We are working hard to develop our programmes to help stimulate the economy and job creation whilst supporting our environment and climate goals including reducing emissions and building resilience to climate impacts. For example, my Streets Space programme is encouraging low carbon transport such as walking and cycling that will help reduce emissions. My officers have given evidence to the Environmental Audit Committee setting out the actions London is taking to reduce overheating and I have asked Government to update the building regulations to tackle overheating risk in buildings and manage the Urban Heat Island.
With the powers I have in place I am only able to achieve up to half of the emissions reductions required to achieve my net zero ambition. One of the key areas to achieving this is the decarbonisation of London’s buildings which account for 74 per cent of London’s emissions. Government recently announced funding for energy efficiency measures in existing buildings as part of their recovery package and although the funds are welcome, they are insufficient to match the scale of investment required in London, let alone the UK. Government must commit sustained, long-term funds with a fair allocation to London and regulated standards, with effective enforcement to put all buildings on a trajectory to net zero. If not, it should devolve the powers and funding to allow us to set and enforce energy efficiency targets in London.

Plastic waste

Leonie Cooper: COVID-19 has caused an increase in plastic waste due to customers’ understandable concerns about reusable shopping bags and hot drinks cups. What incentives will you offer to London’s businesses and shoppers to safely get back to using reusable bags and cups?

The Mayor: It is my ambition to make London a zero-waste city through driving resource efficiency to significantly reduce waste, with a focus on reducing food waste and single-use packaging waste.
Over 115 health experts from eighteen countries have also signed a statement assuring retailers and consumers that reusables are safe to use during COVID-19. The health experts emphasize that disposable products are not inherently safer than reusables and that reusable systems can be utilized safely during the pandemic by employing basic hygiene.
Government have issued guidance on reusable cups and containers. This guidance states that it is up to the individual business to decide whether they allow the use of reusable cups or containers during this period. If reusable cups or containers are used, they should be washed thoroughly in hot, soapy water, or in a dishwasher, where suitable. Government have not published any guidance to suggest using reusable shopping bags is unsafe during COVID-19.
Over 115 health experts from eighteen countries have also signed a statement assuring retailers and consumers that reusables are safe to use during COVID-19. The health experts emphasize that disposable products are not inherently safer than reusables and that reusable systems can be utilized safely during the pandemic by employing basic hygiene.

Net zero-carbon target

Leonie Cooper: Can you reassure me and my constituents that you will retain your ambitious target for London to be net zero-carbon by 2030, even in the face of our budget challenges?

The Mayor: My ambition is still for London to be a zero carbon city by 2030. I am committed to accelerating climate action, going further and faster than previously. My vision for London’s recovery includes a “renewed drive to address the climate emergency” which will be a springboard for ambitious climate action in the capital.
As we move to the recovery phase of the pandemic, there is an important opportunity to build in action that will allow this acceleration to take place, including through the creation of new green jobs and green skills programmes for Londoners. My Green New Deal will help create the jobs that the city needs and support the green industries that are crucial to meeting our city’s climate targets. We will also work with businesses, local authorities and the millions of Londoners who want to see change.
However, I still only have the powers and resources to deliver less than half the carbon emissions required to reach zero carbon. We still require urgent action by Government on the other half where they have levers as well as devolving powers and resources to London that let us take the bold climate action needed to achieve the target.

Sustainable waste management (1)

Leonie Cooper: During the London Plan Examination in Public, I highlighted that your target for all Energy from Waste facilities to have a carbon intensity of 400g of CO2 per kilowatt hour of energy produced is far higher than the Grid intensity, which is as low as 200g. What options are you exploring to bring this target down for all existing incinerators?

The Mayor: In my London Environment Strategy I committed to review the carbon intensity floor (CIF) level that waste incinerators need to meet in 2025, or earlier if appropriate, once London’s waste composition, heat networks and demand are better understood. This review will be performed with a view to tighten the CIF to around 300 grams per kWh (g/kWh) of electricity produced. I will continue to keep the CIF level under review. It is however practically challenging to reduce the CIF level down to 200g/kWh due to non-recycled waste (especially plastic) used in incineration having a higher carbon intensity than alternative renewable energy generation sources like wind, solar, and biogas (produced from anaerobic digestion of food waste). Through my consultation responses on Defra’s Resources and Waste Strategy I have called on the government to put tighter obligations on new energy from waste facilities to operate in combined heat and power mode to improve their efficiency and overall performance. The government has responded to my call to introduce a national minimum recycling service level to help boost recycling, and to introduce a carbon-based waste metric to sit alongside traditional weight-based recycling targets. These measures will be further consulted on and are expected to be in place by 2024.
Please see my answer to Mayor’s Question 2019/1387.

Working conditions

Leonie Cooper: How are you working with businesses to protect working conditions and employee’s wellbeing during the economic downturn?

The Mayor: The Government’s support packages have helped many employees through the lockdown so far. But there are still many who are not receiving the support they need, or lack adequate workplace rights. I have repeatedly called on government to ensure no one is left without support as a result of gaps in the their COVID-19 support schemes.
Since the start of the pandemic, my officers have developed a new £1m business support programme and pivoting our existing support to respond to the needs of London’s businesses. I have also set up a £2.3m ‘Culture at risk business support fund’ for grassroots music venues, LGBTQ+ venues and artist studios.
My Good Work Standard sets the standard for employment practice in workplace dialogue, fair pay and contracts. It also promotes steps employers can take to support the financial wellbeing of their workforce.
Wellbeing is also a key pillar of my Good Work Standard and London Healthy Workplace Award. My teams promote best practice resources provided by Thrive LDN on mental health. The Growth Hub (London’s business advice service) and the Employment Rights Hub both include Covid-related information and resources in 20 languages, including maternity leave and pay, health and safety, whistleblowing, workplace safety and time off work.

Preparing for a summer heatwave

Onkar Sahota: What actions is the GLA taking to protect vulnerable people from high temperatures this summer?

The Mayor: The London Resilience Forum ensures London is prepared for extreme weather events, including heat. Public Health England, who have published specific guidance on how to address extreme heat in the context of the ongoing pandemic, lead London’s response, including advice for and about vulnerable people. This complements procedures set out in the Heatwave Plan for England.
I will keep Londoners informed during extreme heat events by sharing messaging at public locations across London. I have piloted an assessment of overheating risk in care homes; commissioned guidance for schools and early years settings on adapting to London’s changing climate including heatwaves; and am working with water companies to meet short term spikes in water demand and to safely reopen water fountains in due course, taking advice from Public Health England.
My officers are working with London Councils, Public Health England and the boroughs to establish a network of outdoor open, green shaded spaces for public use during periods of high temperatures. Use of these spaces would complement the current measures and social distancing rules set out by the Government. They would be open until 15th September when the NHS Heat Health Watch alerts cease.

Making health settings more heat resilient

Onkar Sahota: Will you consider amending your energy retrofitting schemes and greener building funds to enable hospitals, general practices, and care homes to improve their facilities to deal with excess heat?

The Mayor: My Retrofit Accelerator programme aims to reduce energy use and save carbon emissions through retrofitting buildings, which also covers overheating. My Retrofit Accelerator - Homes, which can support care home retrofits, is encouraging the use of performance-based specifications which also address indoor temperature to mitigate excess heat. My Retrofit Accelerator - Workplaces supports public sector organisations, such as hospitals, to reduce their carbon emissions and improve internal building conditions. The programme’s framework of suppliers also allows public sector buildings to address overheating issues through, for example, energy saving lighting, fabric upgrades, solar film or shading.
I have commissioned University College London to undertake an audit assessing overheating risk in care homes. The work is underway and will look to provide an audit report to provide consideration to the Care Quality Commission to include the risk of overheating from climate change in their inspection assessment of care homes.

Journey to a new health and care system

Onkar Sahota: Will you raise the NHS London plans to reconfigure health services in the city in one of your regular meetings with Sir David Sloman, and seek assurances about public consultation on these plans?

The Mayor: Sir David Sloman, Regional Director of NHS London, has spoken to me about the need for the NHS to work differently in the light of COVID and to harness the learning from recent experience. While I understand and support the need to move at pace during the pandemic to stop the spread and save lives, this will not stop me from seeking key assurances from health and care partners as they plan to address deferred care needs, particularly as we move to the next stage of coping with this deadly virus.
I have therefore asked Sir David to ensure all plans are published. I have also urged him to make sure the NHS in London engages widely with the public in their development, including with those who are often marginalised and whose voices are seldom heard.
I will continue to reinforce the importance of transparency, consultation and public engagement, including at my meeting with Sir David and local council leaders next week.

London living wage accreditation

Onkar Sahota: Will you raise an item at the next possible London Health Board meeting to ask members what steps they are taking to become Living Wage Foundation accredited?

The Mayor: The Board met on 30 June and is not due to meet again until September. I will write to them requesting this information and share the responses with you.

Self-isolation in London

Onkar Sahota: Do you receivefigures from the NHS on how the test and trace system is performing in London and if so, will you publish them? If not, will you ask the NHS to supply this data?

The Mayor: I have written to Matt Hancock, Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, asking for London region data on the test and trace service. I would like a comprehensive picture of the different areas of testing and contact tracing activity across pillar 1 (delivered by the NHS and PHE) and pillar 2 (commissioned by the Department of Health and Social Care). I think it is important to publish the London region data to build public confidence and will continue to press for this.
Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, Public Health England’s London Coronavirus Response Centre has been providing data to London Directors of Public Health on a daily basis to keep them informed of any new cases in their borough, across all pillars of testing. This active surveillance has helped detect local clusters of cases and enable swift action to stop further spread.

Protecting the care sector in the pandemic (1)

Onkar Sahota: When did the Strategic Coordinating Group first discuss problems facing the care sector as a result of coronavirus and what actions were taken as a result?

The Mayor: The potential risks to care homes and the requirement for close collaboration between acute care and social care was recognised at the outset of the incident in February 2020. This led to the Health Oversight group being established by the NHS in February 2020, including PHE and social care leads for London. The lead local authority Chief Executive regularly dialled into Strategic Coordination Group (SCG) meetings from the outset of the incident to provide updates on the risks posed from the anticipated surge of demand into social care and the risk of infection of patients within social care settings.
It was identified very early on that the main issue this work would encounter was the limited availability of testing to help identify the spread of the virus.

Protecting the care sector in the pandemic (2)

Onkar Sahota: In response to my question 2020/1605, you said that ADASS provides London with a daily capacity figure which enabled the COVID-19 response to cope with discharge from hospital patients. Given you have this tool, are you able to identify where outbreaks of COVID-19 began in care homes following hospital discharges?

The Mayor: The ADASS (Association of Directors of Adult Social Services) tool provides daily capacity figures for social care. This data supported local partnership working at borough and sub-regional levels, including ‘Discharge Hubs’ to facilitate discharge from hospitals to in a timely way with appropriate support. Clear guidance and comprehensive testing prior to discharge were clearly not in place early enough during the pandemic. Local Authorities and the care sector, the NHS and Public Health England are working together to identify and mange COVID-19 outbreaks in care homes and their sources as a core part of local outbreak management plans, applying lessons from London and beyond for the future.

GLA budget guidance impact on health

Onkar Sahota: What outcomes from your Health Inequalities Strategy do you expect to be altered as a result of the spending reductions in your 2020/21 budget guidance?

The Mayor: The COVID-19 crisis has significant implications for the health inequalities impacting on Londoners. We have seen certain groups suffer disproportionate impacts from the pandemic, both directly and indirectly. Mitigation efforts will be required, particularly for older people, those living with certain long-term conditions, Black, Asian and minority ethnic Londoners, and those living in more deprived parts of the city. This will undoubtably impact on our progress in reducing London’s health inequalities – but only strengthens my resolve to do this.
The work programme of my Health Team is being reviewed alongside all other teams in the GLA group to see where savings could be made, and in particular, to ensure that their work supports the COVID-19 recovery, as it has been on the response. A key part of the team’s role is to support a range of teams across the GLA in taking a health in all policies approach to their work areas, and working with and supporting a wide range of health and care system partners – this can really make a difference to health inequalities at scale.

Preparing for Local Lockdowns

Andrew Boff: What actions are you taking to prepare London for potential local lockdowns?

The Mayor: All 33 London boroughs have established and published their local outbreak control plans. The provision for testing and contact tracing has improved since the first wave, which will provide us with better data to spot and mitigate the need for any local lockdowns.
Under the direction of the Strategic Coordination Group, London has conducted a local lockdown workshop and an exercise involving over 100 responders, including Directors of Public Health, and representatives from the NHS, MPS, TfL and the Joint Biosecurity Centre.
My Statutory Health Advisor is providing me with regular reports on the testing results and numbers of infections in London and my team is proactively communicating with Londoners to ensure they have the advice and guidance they need to help reduce the spread of COVID-19.

Bringing unoccupied homes into use during the coronavirus crisis (2)

Siân Berry: Thank you for your answer to my question 2020/1471. Could you now provide any details of the work you have done, or are doing, to bring unoccupied homes into use for Londoners who are in temporary housing during the coronavirus crisis?

The Mayor: Through London’s new £67 million Rough Sleeping Accommodation Programme, I am looking to fund a range of schemes and initiatives to provide homes for rough sleepers, particularly those accommodated in hotels as part of the Covid-19 response. This will include schemes that involve unsold/ unlet homes. I am similarly keen to fund such homes for victims of domestic abuse, through my £50 million Move On Programme .
In addition, the Housing Delivery Taskforce, convened by Tom Copley, has called on the Government to provide £5 billion to help meet London’s housing needs. This includes a tenure conversions programme to switch low-cost ownership and private sale homes into social and low-cost rent, and a ‘buyer of last resort scheme’ which would allow councils and housing associations to buy unsold private homes at cost price and turn them into social housing. These measures would provide confidence to secure delivery, and ensure that new homes which are built do not lie empty.

Wine Fraud

Susan Hall: For each of the years April 16 to March 17, April 17 to March 18, April 18 to March 19, and April 19 to March 12, please provide the number of Wine Fraud offences in London.

The Mayor: The MPS has informed me that it does not recognise the offence description as individual offence type.
It was assumed that this involved some sort of deception where the victim was conned out of money with the promise of Alcohol in return that did not materialise
Any such allegation would be reported to Action Fraud and the offence investigated if and where the fraudster lives/works.
As such it is impossible to answer the question accurately.

Spirit Fraud

Susan Hall: For each of the years April 16 to March 17, April 17 to March 18, April 18 to March 19, and April 19 to March 12, please provide the number of Alcohol Spirit Fraud offences in London.

The Mayor: The MPS informed me that it did not recognise the offence description as an individual offence type.
It was assumed that this involved some sort of deception where the victim was conned out of money with the promise of Alcohol in return that did not materialise.
Any such allegation would be reported to Action Fraud and the offence investigated if and where the fraudster lives/works.
As such it is impossible to answer the question accurately.

Long Range Tasers

Susan Hall: Does the Met use Long Range Tasers? If so, how many does it have?

The Mayor: There are no Long Range Taser devices in use. The only Taser devices currently operated by the MPS are the X26 and X2.

Second peak preparation

Gareth Bacon MP: What response have you prepared from City Hall if London experiences a second peak of the coronavirus?

The Mayor: London has some excellent systems now in place to support the response to any future wave.
The Nightingale Hospital, which thankfully was not required to be used on the scale anticipated, has been moved into standby so that it can rapidly scale up if required.
We have similar arrangements that can be put in place for mortality management, food provision into food banks, support for shielded persons, and emergency supplies of PPE.
A great deal of work has been undertaken by the Department for Health and Social Care, PHE and local authorities to put in place the contact tracing system, which launched on 28 May.
Clearly, it was not possible to conduct large scale testing and contact tracing at the outbreak of the virus, and so London will be better prepared for future waves.
The establishment of the London Transition Board and London Recovery Board will also assist in the preparations.

Funding for Coronavirus-related Projects per Borough

Susan Hall: How much funding for coronavirus-related projects have you given to each London borough? Please give a breakdown of projects and boroughs.

The Mayor: The GLA has awarded a total of up to £5.328 million for coronavirus-related projects to London boroughs.
The expenditure is up to £5 million to fund a COVID-19 emergency support fund for the voluntary and community sector and civil society organisations, which was paid to the City of London Corporation for City Bridge Trust.
The £0.328 million expenditure is paid to the seven London boroughs that form the Thames Estuary Production Corridor to promote the creative industries. The seven boroughs are:

London Power (1)

Tony Arbour: Does the Mayor agree with me that London Power customers ought to have all correspondence from the company with both Octopus and London Power branding?

The Mayor: Octopus Energy are the licensed supplier for London Power but London Power has its own brand which is distinct from Octopus Energy and. London Power customers receive communications which are London Power branded. Octopus is only mentioned in our customer facing communications in places where we feel it is needed to ensure transparency (e.g. to show that Octopus are the licensed supplier) or where we believe it adds weight to provide credibility to the London Power offer (e.g. in respect of their Which? rating or their record on renewables).

Nominee passes (2)

Gareth Bacon MP: What consideration have you given to withdrawing the nominee pass staff benefit at TfL to generate income?

The Mayor: Transport for London (TfL) continues to consider a wide range of options to reduce costs. Removing nominee passes is unlikely to result in any significant additional income.
This benefit is a long-standing part of the terms and conditions of TfL employees. Passes in their current form have existed since 2002, under successive Mayors. There is no ‘cost’ because the number of journeys, historically, has been a tiny proportion of the 11 million Tube and bus journeys made per day, meaning no additional services need to be operated.

International Bus Benchmarking Group and Covid-19

Caroline Pidgeon: Will you commission Imperial College’s International Bus Benchmarking Group (IBBG) to produce a study looking at how London compared to all other IBBG members for Deaths and Hospitalisations of Bus Drivers from Covid-19 in the first half of 2020?

The Mayor: Transport for London (TfL) continues working with the International Bus Benchmarking Group run by Imperial College London to understand and share knowledge with other members. Imperial College London continues to collate and analyse data provided by TfL and other members and these are summarised within a regularly updated report entitled, “How is the global transport sector responding to the Coronavirus (COVID-19)?”. This can found here: https://www.imperial.ac.uk/transport-studies/transport-strategy-centre/applied-research/covid-19/.
TfL has commissioned University College London’s Institute of Health Equity to undertake a study of coronavirus infections and deaths in London’s bus workers and to provide further learnings. The first part of this report is expected to be published in July. TfL has no plans to separately ask Imperial College to undertake a study into deaths and hospitalisations of bus drivers from coronavirus.

Completions on housing programme

Murad Qureshi: With housing completions expected to sink by 30 per cent this year compared with 2019 and to spring back only halfway in 2021, can we expect a similar pattern for the completions on your housing programme?

The Mayor: See details provided for Mayor's Question 2020/2381. Yes, we expect to see a drop in the delivery of completions as a result of COVID-19 restrictions.

Roads Policing

Alison Moore: It’s important that users of London’s streets follow the rules. There is evidence from the Metropolitan Police of more speeding offences. We know this will concern vulnerable road users. Will the Mayor use his influence with the Roads Policing Command to increase roads policing in London?

The Mayor: Compared to last year, the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) has increased its on-street enforcement activity against speeding, which has resulted in an additional 8,841 Traffic Offence Reports being issued on-street for speeding offences. This is an increase of 214 per cent when comparing 24th March to 30thJune 2020 with last year.
Tackling speeding offences is a shared priority for the MPS and Transport for London (TfL). The speed at which people are driving or riding is the single most important determinant of both the likelihood of a collision occurring and the severity of the outcome. TfL and the MPS both reported an increase in speeding offences during the initial stages on lockdown when traffic levels were lower. Current reports indicate that that speeding offences have subsequently decreased.
The MPS Roads and Transport Policing Command (RTPC), which is jointly funded by TfL, is making significant progress on its Vision Zero plans, removing dangerous drivers and vehicles from the roads. Together with TfL, the RTPC is also progressing plans to significantly increase the levels of both on-street and safety camera speed enforcement activity.
The scale and range of RTPC roads policing activity is unparalleled and is recognised as being one of the best roads policing teams in the country.

London’s tourism industry

Leonie Cooper: How will you support London’s tourism industry during this period of lockdown and into recovery from COVID-19?

The Mayor: London’s tourism industry has been very significantly affected by the pandemic and I have been doing everything I can to support its recovery.
I launched Pay It Forward to help Londoner’s buy goods and services in advance and increased support to business through my Growth Hub. I set up £2.3 million emergency fund to support the capitals cultural sector - a major driver of London’s tourism industry. I have lobbied on the extension to the furlough scheme for culture, hospitality and leisure.
London & Partners have launched “Because I’m A Londoner”, backed by an alliance of London business organisations, to drive consumer confidence. They have also supported the tourism sector’s virtual activities through the “Virtually London” campaign. They have hosted expert webinars providing training and support, and created a specific cohort on a free Business Growth Programme for tourism and business event start-ups.
I will continue to make the case to Government to do more to support a strong and sustainable recovery of the industry and ongoing support for the sectors worst affected by Covid-19.

Cycling

Tony Arbour: Could the Mayor set out the number of people who have been cycling during the lockdown period in comparison to the same months last year?

The Mayor: Whilst cycle monitoring has been disrupted by the pandemic we have some very encouraging indicative figures.
The general trend that we have seen is a slight reduction in weekday journeys by bike - although a significantly lower reduction when compared to public transport – and a massive increase in weekend cycling.
Data up to the 3rdJuly shows, compared to last year, a 20 per cent reduction in weekday trips but a 92 per cent increase in weekend trips
The appended table shows the weekly change in cycle flow for those 31 sites between 2020 and 2019.

Targets

Susan Hall: What targets have you set the Metropolitan Police to increase efficiency?

The Mayor: I want London to be a safer city for all, but will not set any fixed, numerical targets for the MPS. I want the MPS to be focused on doing the right thing for the public, rather than focusing on whether or not they will achieve an arbitrary numerical target set by politicians in City Hall.
My Police and Crime Plan sets out my ambition for the MPS to work in an efficient and effective way.
As part of the annual budget setting process there are planned savings and efficiencies in 2020/21 of £2.9m, rising cumulatively to £53.1 million in 2021-22 and £81.1 million in 2022-23. This reflects the fact that significant savings of £877 million have already been made between 2013-14 and 2019-20. The Mayor and the MPS will continue to seek efficiency improvements and savings, but given the scale of efficiencies already made, there are fewer easy savings to deliver in the future without impacting on the service provided.

Support for BIDs

Shaun Bailey: How have you been working with BIDs across London during the coronavirus pandemic and what support are you giving them as lockdown eases?

The Mayor: I have worked and consulted London’s Business Improvement Districts throughout the Covid-19 crisis and the period of lockdown. Several BIDs including Croydon, New West End Company and Camden have played a key role in continuing to guide the work of the SCG and GLA by monitoring, identifying, assessing, and reporting the economic impacts of COVID-19. There is also BID representation on the High Street Task & Finish Group.
Initially I consulted them on their challenges and what type of support I could give them. I acted by lobbying central government to ensure that all London BIDs got funding to cover part of their management costs.
In addition, my Deputy Mayor has had meetings with individual BIDs and groups of BIDs to discuss their specific needs. I have also ensured that BIDs were updated on a regular basis on all type of relevant information that affects their members. Furthermore, senior staff from BIDs have been directly involved in my helping shape my response to the pandemic, helping to ensure their voices were heard and their issues addressed.

Support for SMEs to Work from Home

Shaun Bailey: How are you supporting Small and Medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to work from home?

The Mayor: I recognise the difficulties many businesses will be facing working remotely during this pandemic and therefore I have ensured there is support for them via my business support portal. The London Growth Hub’s Covd-19 hub has detailed guidance around working from home and the mental health and well-being implications for SMEs working remotely.
All established business can access free one-to-one business advice via through the London Growth Hub. Our advisers are all being trained to handle issues from businesses around remote working. They are able to advise on key issues related to the subject including mental health and well-being, cyber security and business continuity planning. Webinars are also running on these subjects where SMEs can hear from experts on how to create robust plans to help businesses face the current challenges of COVID-19 and beyond.
In collaboration with the Police Digital Security Centre (PDSC), I am also actively promoting business vigilance against the increased cyber security risks associated with remote working. This information can be found here: https://www.growthhub.london/cybersecurity-and-working-safely-during-covid-19-6/. New content is uploaded onto our website bi-weekly.

Economic Challenges for Inner and Outer London

Shaun Bailey: What have you identified as being the major differences between the economic challenges faced in inner and outer London as we come out of lockdown?

The Mayor: Businesses and individuals across inner and outer London are facing unprecedented challenges. Data shows London accounted for 12per cent of the total UK employmentsfurloughedwithapproximately1.07 million– the highest number amongst regions and with a disproportionately high number in areas that have seen the greatest rise in the benefit claimant count. The top five UK constituencies for the number of furloughed workers are across London in West Ham, Tottenham, East Ham, Feltham & Heston, and Brent Central.
The challenges faced by businesses in central London are particularly acute. Areas such as the West End, which rely on tourism and people traveling to spend their leisure time, face significantly lower footfall as a result of limits on travel and a fall in tourism. Locations with high numbers of office workers are seeing supressed demand as people continue to work from home and transport capacity is limited as a result of social distancing measures.
I will continue to raise the importance of ongoing support for those workers and businesses that have been the hardest hit across London.

Possible connection between air pollution and transmission of Covid-19

Caroline Pidgeon: On 24 June 2020 an article by Science of the Total Environment (Reference: STOTEN 140515) stated: “Our analysis shows that short-term exposure to air pollution (both NO 2 and PM2.5) is significantly correlated with an increased risk of contracting and dying from COVID -19, expanding on previous evidence linking high mortality rates in England (Travaglio, Popovic, Yu, Leal, & Martins, 2020), Northern Italy (Ogen, 2020 ) and USA (Xiao, Rachel C, Benjamin M, Danielle, & Francesca, 2020)”. What steps are you taking in response to this growing body of scientific evidence connecting air pollution and the transmission of Covid-19.

The Mayor: The World Health Organization (WHO) have identified air pollution the biggest environmental risk to health and millions of Londoners breathe in air that harms our lungs and worsens chronic illness, such as asthma, lung and heart disease. Now there is emerging evidence of potential links between air pollution and an increased risk of death from COVID-19.
This makes my plans to clean up London’s air, including the expansion of the Ultra Low Emission Zone next year, more important than ever.
The UK Government’s Air Quality Expert Group (AQEG) have now published a summary of the submissions for their rapid call for evidence. They concluded “it would not be surprising if there was a link between exposure to air pollution (past or present) and the occurrence or severity of COVID-19 infection”. However, they also cautioned “studies require very careful control for confounding influences, and further work is needed before there can be confidence in their findings.”
My officers are carefully monitoring this field of research as it evolves, and I will continue to be led by the best available science. In the meantime I continue to call on the Government to act on the current overwhelming evidence we have on the harm that air pollution does to health and use the new Environment Bill to adopt the WHO recommended limit for PM2.5 as a legally binding target. They should also give London the powers and funding we need to clean up our toxic air.

GLA planning process

Caroline Pidgeon: Following the extensive media reports relating to the planning process for the proposed development on the former Westferry Printworks site raising concerns about undue influence being sought in the planning process, are you satisfied with (a) current GLA processes of assessing developments, (b) that there is full transparency relating to meetings that you, Mayoral appointees and senior GLA officers undertake with property developers and (c) the hospitality that they offer or seek to offer to you, Mayoral appointees and to senior GLA officers.

The Mayor: I am confident that we have appropriate processes in place to ensure that all our work is carried out with the utmost transparency, public scrutiny and accountability. My Mayoral team and GLA officers are all familiar and comply with the GLA Gifts and Hospitality Policy and Procedure and Guidelines on Representation (Lobbying), as well as assessing the merits or otherwise of a proposed development and conducting meetings with property developers in line with the GLA Unified Planning Code of Conduct.
As you will appreciate, engagement with the development industry is a necessity of any planning service and vital to ensuring that development across London delivers Good Growth. Discussions between GLA officers and developers prior to the submission of planning applications are documented and recorded. We publish all our planning decisions and should a planning application be called in by me, there is a clear procedure setting out the decision making process. I, along with my deputies and GLA officers, are fully aware of the principles around lawfulness, transparency and fairness when making planning decisions and all our decisions are made in the public interest without any undue influence from other parties.

Short-term reserves

Susan Hall: Could you detail all of the GLA's short-term reserves/investments - where they sit, and how much they add up to?

The Mayor: Excluding reserves held for the MDCs, earmarked for services and the capital programme and the Strategic Investment Fund, the GLA’s short term reserves at 1 April 2020 are as follows:
Business Rates Reserve
£135.2m
Assembly Reserve
£0.9m
General Reserve
£10.0m
Total short term reserves
£146.1m
As of 15 July 2020 the GLA had short term investments totalling £3.796bn with a maturity date of less than 12months – principally housing capital grants as yet unapplied.

PHE COVID-19 inequalities report (1)

Onkar Sahota: What discussions have you had with Professor Kevin Fenton about priority actions for London in light of the findings and recommendations from PHE’s report on coronavirus inequalities?

The Mayor: I have been meeting regularly with Professor Fenton to better understand the impact of coronavirus on London and the actions we need to take to reduce it. In the two PHE reports on disparities in risks and outcomes and understanding the impact on Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities, PHE brought together findings from academic literature with the outcomes of an extensive engagement exercise across the country, involving over 4000 individuals.
Taken together, these reports shine a light on the inequalities created and exacerbated by COVID-19. The work demonstrated an alarming association between ethnicity and poor health outcomes for some ethnic groups, which could not be explained by factors like age, deprivation or occupation. My team is reflecting on Professor Fenton’s recommendations which seek to address longstanding inequalities and limit the impact of COVID-19 on BAME Londoners. We are in the process of translating what this means for London, and how we can implement the findings as part of London’s recovery. I have commissioned the University of Manchester to conduct a rapid review of the disproportionate impacts of COVID-19 on different groups in London, due to report in August. Further, I am leading a programme of engagement activity with BAME and faith groups from across London, to understand their experiences during the pandemic.

Culturally competent mental health programmes

Onkar Sahota: How are you ensuring Thrive LDN and other mental health programmes you support are culturally competent?

The Mayor: As part of Thrive LDN’s role to coordinate the public mental health response to COVID-19 in London, they have commissioned a variety of community participatory research and engagement projects to improve what we know about different groups’ experiences of COVID-19.
They have also distributed 96,000 mental health leaflets through volunteer networks for vulnerable or shielding individuals who aren’t digitally-active and are translating mental health resources into 21 community languages.
To complement national guidance, Thrive LDN have developed London-specific guidance for different vulnerable or marginalised groups and developed psychosocial guidance for those who are supporting communities who have been adversely affected by COVID-19.
Thrive LDN have also awarded £200,000 worth of grants to support community-led mental health projects with and for intersectional and marginalised groups and have developed a specific mental health support plan with and for minority ethnic communities.

79 Step Free Tube Stations

Alison Moore: Mill Hill East is the 79th station to become step-free on the London Underground network. Can you provide me with a list in excel format of all 79 step-free London Underground Stations?

The Mayor: Please find attached a list of all 79 step-free London Underground stations in alphabetical order.